This 2013 document traces the development of forensic DNA analysis and its use by the NC State Crime Lab. It attempts to identify what technologies were available at what time. Information about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Crime Laboratory is not included.
Resources
The Handbook of Forensic Services (revised 2013)
U.S. Department of Justice, FBI Laboratory Division. Provides guidance and procedures for methods of collecting, preserving, packaging, and shipping evidence and describes the forensic examinations performed by the FBI’s Laboratory Division and Operational Technology Division.
Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement (2013)
Developed by the National Forensic Science Technology Center and is available for free download.
Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement (2013)Read More
The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook: Best Practices for Evidence Handlers
2013 NIST handbook offers guidance for individuals involved in the collection, examination, tracking, packaging, storing and disposition of biological evidence
The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook: Best Practices for Evidence HandlersRead More
National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations
U.S. Department of Justice protocol focusing on the immediate response of medical and other professionals in reference to medical treatment and evidence gathering from sexual assault or abuse victims. It addresses the role of advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other responders in the medical forensic exam process.
National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic ExaminationsRead More
Supreme Court: Alert by a Trained or Certified Drug Dog Normally Provides Probable Cause
UNC School of Government blog post by Jeff Welty that explains the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 holding in Florida v. Harris. Harris holds that when a trained and certified drug dog alerts on a vehicle, that normally provides probable cause to search the car, even if there are no records regarding the dog’s performance in the field. …
Supreme Court: Alert by a Trained or Certified Drug Dog Normally Provides Probable CauseRead More
Stephen J. Morse and Adina L. Roskies, Eds., A Primer on Criminal Law and Neuroscience
Experts in Child Sex Cases: Reversible Error in a Recent Case
UNC School of Government blog post by Jessica Smith
Experts in Child Sex Cases: Reversible Error in a Recent CaseRead More
Hypothesis Testing of the Critical Underlying Premise of Discernible Uniqueness in Firearms-Toolmarks Forensic Practice
Article by William A. Tobin and Peter J. Blau that argues that existing studies that are typically presented in court as support for firearm/projectile comparisons are fatally flawed and thus are of no value for validation of the techniques used. The authors offer a solution that would allow a scientifically defensible opinion to be proffered …
Forensic DNA Statistics: Still Controversial In Some Cases
by William C. Thompson, Laurence D. Mueller, and Dan E. Krane. The Champion, Dec. 2012. A must-read article for attorneys dealing with cases with DNA evidence. The authors show how subjectivity and bias may play a role in DNA analysis, particularly in cases involving very small amounts of DNA, partial profiles, or mixtures.
Forensic DNA Statistics: Still Controversial In Some CasesRead More
State v. Lawson, 352 Ore. 724 (2012)
On Nov. 29, 2012, the Oregon Supreme Court issued an important decision, which places the burden on the state to establish the reliability of the eyewitness identification and recognizes and requires courts to act in a manner consistent with the latest scientific research on eyewitness identification and memory. This opinion may be useful in NC …
Lana Canen case
Ms. Canen’s 2005 murder conviction in IN was overturned in Nov. 2012 after she spent eight years in prison. A fingerprint that was a crucial piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case against her was found not to be hers. An Arizona fingerprint expert discovered that a sheriff’s detective misidentified a fingerprint found on a …
George Allen case
Mr. Allen’s 1983 rape and murder conviction in MO was reversed in Nov. 2012, though the state is appealing the reversal. In this case, it was discovered that there are seven usable fingerprints from the crime scene that do not match anyone involved, though police testified at trial that the fingerprints matched the victim, the …
Expert Testimony: “The Child Was Sexually Abused”
UNC School of Government blog post by Jessica Smith
Examining Shaken Baby Syndrome Convictions in Light of New Medical Scientific Research
Examines the controversy concerning Shaken Baby Syndrome and how emerging medical research is prompting the legal system to re-examine SBS convictions. Click on the link and then click Download This Paper at the top of the page to read the full article.
Examining Shaken Baby Syndrome Convictions in Light of New Medical Scientific ResearchRead More