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DNA Evidence Fabricated
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000
by blogger hcn
UPDATE: I'm re-posting this. For those of you wondering, I think the linked to news story is the reason for the asinine storyline on this weeks SVU. -jl
I recently saw a series of segments on a news show questioning forensic science. After examining several areas of forensic science and questioning their validity, they made a statement that DNA evidence seems to be the only truly accurate evidence to link a person to a crime scene. According to a recent New York Times article, that may not be the case anymore. Scientists in Israel were able to fabricate blood and saliva samples with DNA from a person other than the donor.The authors of the paper took blood from a woman and centrifuged it to remove the white cells, which contain DNA. To the remaining red cells they added DNA that had been amplified from a man’s hair. Since red cells do not contain DNA, all of the genetic material in the blood sample was from the man. The authors sent it to a leading American forensics laboratory, which analyzed it as if it were a normal sample of a man’s blood.
Obviously a person attempting to fake and plant DNA evidence would need a background in biology and DNA analysis techniques to pull this off. I think it's safe to say your average criminal won't be able to have access to the necessary equipment and the knowledge to do this, but it is an interesting new study.NRC Report - Free
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:30:00 +0000
by blogger jgl
The NRC report on forensic science is now available for free. Previously, I think there was a charge to access the full report. The report can be accessed here.
This report provides some constructive criticism of the current state of forensic labs in the US. It's something that forensic scientists are talking about.Recognizing that significant improvements are needed in forensic science, Congress directed the National Academy of Sciences to undertake the study that led to this report. There are scores of talented and dedicated people in the forensic science community, and the work that they perform is vitally important. They are often strapped in their work, however, for lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systemic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines—to ensure the reliability of the disciplines, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices and their consistent application. Company to Provide Forensic Services to Army
Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:58:00 +0000
found by troym; comments by blogger jgl
Does anyone know how these contracts will work? Will these companies be hiring scientists to complete the work or just serving as a middle man sending the work through to already existing private labs?
In other words, will any forensic lab jobs be created/destroyed because of this?American Systems Corp., Analytic Services Inc. and Ideal Innovations Inc., have won a multiple award contract to compete for approximately $145 million in task orders to provide forensic services to the Army...
...The support will cover the forensic disciplines of nuclear DNA, serology, forensic anthropology, digital evidence, forensic toxicology and forensic pathology, among others, according to a Sept. 28 announcement from American Systems.Hate Mail Analysis Challenges Public Assumptions
Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:28:00 +0000
by blogger SLC
Various locations and people throughout the United Kingdom, from simple mosques to the prime minister, have recently received letters containing scathing racial and sexual insults. However, profiles developed by linguistic experts have one surprising thing to say - the writer is likely a woman."Men tend to suggest a more explicit threat and a demand for action but, while the nature of the letters were very nasty and would clearly have been received as threats, they were not explicit about what that threat might be. [. . .] One of the things that were striking about the letters was the heavy use of expressive adjectives, which is more typical of women than men."
Experts also think the suspect will likely have written more typical complaint letters to companies or politicians, and have asked for any who recognize certain unusual turns of phrase in the letters to come forward.
DNA evidence from the letters also supports the linguistic experts' theory.Lock up or field trips?
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:49:00 +0000
by blogger msb
In Seattle, a convicted killer escaped during an annual field trip. Phillip Arnold Paul was one of 30 mental patients from Eastern State Hospital recently taken to the local fair by several staff members. Paul, who was classified schizophrenic and acquitted of murder, vanished from the fair with a backpack full of clothing, food and money. He was later apprehended on the side of the highway several miles from the fair.Shortly after the escape, Susan N. Dreyfus, secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, ordered a halt to all field trips for "forensic patients," those committed for treatment as a result of criminal proceedings, at all three of the state's mental institutions..."We are committed to finding out how and why this happened, why there was an unacceptable (two-hour) delay in notifying local law enforcement of his escape, and how potentially dangerous patients were brought to such a public venue with the reported staffing ratios"
The really sad part...this is the second time Paul has escaped from a field trip and endangered those around him.I'm Innocent
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:10:00 +0000
by blogger ADD
Texas is on the verge of admitting that it executed an innocent man. The man in question was tried and convicted on faulty forensics.
In 1991, fire swept through Cameron Todd Willingham's small home. He escaped but his 3 daughters did not. Despite having no clear motive, he was charged with arson. Willingham who had prior run ins with the law was tried, convicted, and executed in 2004.
The new report criticizes the former fire marshal who investigated the blaze and testified for the prosecution. The report states that his testimony was based upon his personal opinion and was not based in science. The report added that the investigators showed poor understanding in fire science and that a finding of arson could not be sustained."If something comes out of his execution that would improve the criminal justice system and keep a tragedy like this from happening in the future, it's a very big deal," explained Robert Udashen, a Dallas attorney, who’s also a member of The Innocence Project, which brought the case to the state’s attention.
The Willingham investigation is only the second the Texas Forensic Science Commission has ever conducted. They plan a statewide meeting next month in Las Colinas.Smile, You're on Candid Camera!
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:08:00 +0000
by blogger jmj
A forgery and theft case in Pierce County, Washington was solved with the use of facial recognition software being pilot tested by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. An ATM surveillance image was compared to 16 years' worth of mug shots taken at the Pierce County Jail using Sagem Morpho Inc.'s new facial recognition software, MorphoFace. It took less than 15 minutes to find a match. The property crime case, that likely would have gotten cast to the side, ended with an arrest and conviction.
The software was used in Tampa, FL in 2001 during Super Bowl XXXV where scans of spectators identified 19 people with criminal records. However, none were wanted by authorities at the time. Airports looked into the use of facial recognition cameras as an added security measure after 9/11, but opponents raised concerns over privacy and argued the technology was intrusive and ineffective.
The difference with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department is that the software is being used as an investigative tool to identify likely suspects in a specific crime, not to just scan crowds looking for felons. The Sheriff's Department is also testing the software to gauge its accuracy.To test the software's accuracy, Wilkins checks whether it can match current mug shots of repeat offenders currently in the jail with their previous booking photos.
He goes through the daily bookings and selects the men and women who have been locked up before. He takes their most recent mug shots and uploads them into MorphoFace.
The program is asked to find possible matches in a database of more than 479,000 mug shots of people booked into the jail, the Remann Hall juvenile jail and the Puyallup City Jail since 1992.
MorphoFace uses algorithms to measure the location of a person's eyes and builds a model of the face that is compared with the mug shots in the database.
"It will recognize unique patterns in each person's face," Hess said.
Tests of the software have shown that it spots whom it should about 90 percent of the time.The Super Sniffer!
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:22:00 +0000
by blogger mem
We all know that the police often use cadaver dogs to locate potential dead bodies, but did you know that they also use dogs to identify criminals? Apparently, scent dogs are often used to match suspects with forensic evidence found at crime scenes. In this article, however, The Innocence Project of Texas is claiming that some of these wonder dogs are responsible for wrongful arrests.
Fort Bend County Sheriff Deputy Keith Pickett and his dogs are being named specifically, citing that his methods are flawed. Curvis Bickham claims to have been falsely accused, and was arrested and charged with murder because of Pickett's dogs. The following video explains further.“I saw Pickett with an extremely tight leash on that dog. That dog was going where Pickett was going. When Pickett stopped, the dog stopped,” said Dr. Larry Myers, consultant for The Innocence Project.
Though the charges against Bickham have been dismissed and he has been released, he reportedly lost everything because of this case.DNA Sample could buy Freedom
Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:47:00 +0000
by blogger gmp
Several states have passed laws over the past few years mandating individuals arrested for a felony must submit a DNA sample. The infamous O.C. also known as Orange County has taken it a step further and are giving those arrested the option of submitting a DNA sample in exchange for their charges being dropped. Those in favor of such measures believe not only will it serve as a deterrent for future criminals and cut down on the number of cases passing through the judicial system. A fee of $75 has also been proposed as the cost to submit the sample as part of the overall deal. Can we really place a price on freedom???In a perfect world, I think most of us would prefer that were someone accused and arrested for a crime, they proceeded through the criminal justice system in a more traditional sense," Sorrell said. "However, these are very difficult times, and the volume of crimes has had a huge impact on the D.A.'s office and law enforcement agencies. Improving Fingerprint Recovery Rates for Metal Cartridge Cases
Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:23:00 +0000
by jnr
Researchers at the University of Leicester are investigating a technique that may improve the visualization of fingerprints on metal surfaces, such as cartridge cases, by studying the chemical and physical interactions that occur between the metal and the residue deposited as a fingerprint.Researcher Alex Goddard explains, "Once a finger has touched the metal surface, a residue remains behind, this starts to react with the metal and an image of the fingerprint can be developed by use of elevated temperature and humidity, with the resultant image becoming a permanent feature on the surface of the metal."
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