STORY: "Former FBI agent calls flawed forensic evidence 'a law enforcement holocaust,' by reporter Michael Kelley, published in Business Insider on July 13, 2012.
GIST: "The Department of Justice and FBI have launched a review of more than 10,000 cases to look for flawed forensic evidence that might have convicted innocent people, the Washington Post reported this week. Ex-FBI agent and whistleblower C. Fred Whitehurst told Prism magazine that the undertaking – the largest post-conviction review ever done by the FBI – is only the tip of the iceberg because the FBI taught its forensic techniques to local, state, and federal crime lab personnel for decades.
"In this nation alone there are virtually hundreds of thousands of cases in jeopardy where forensic hair analysis was conducted," Whitehurst told Prism. "We are seeing a holocaust of law enforcement come to light which has been taking place now for decades under the nose of an unsuspecting American nation."
Former FBI Special Agent Mike German (now with the ACLU) told Prism that the DOJ felt pressured to act after a Washington Post report in April revealed that for years DOJ officials knew "hair and fiber analysis was subjective and lacked grounding in solid research and that the FBI lab lacked protocols to ensure that agent testimony was scientifically accurate." But neither agency thoroughly reviewed specific cases or informed potentially innocent defendants or their attorneys, the Post reported."
http://www.businessinsider.com/former-fbi-agent-calls-revelations-of-flawed-forensic-evidence-a-law-enforcement-holocaust-2012-7
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
