POST: "Part 2: The lab accreditation process," by Ryan Nilan, published by North Carolina Forensics - a blog run by The North Carolina Office of Indigent Defence Services - on January 10, 2012. (This is the second in a three-part series on lab accreditation, analyst certification, and ISO-compliant lab procedures by Ryan Niland).
GIST: "Although courts have assumed previously that work performed in accredited labs is reliable, an increasing body of evidence shows that accreditation provides little assurance that forensic analyses are carried out with sound scientific methodology. Investigators have uncovered failures in at least 28 accredited laboratories since 2005, including mis-identification of fibers, DNA contamination, mix-ups of physical evidence, expired chemicals, and false calibration dates. One of the most notable of these failures occurred in the NC State Bureau of Investigation’s (SBI) serology lab, where false and misleading lab reports tainted at least 230 cases over a 16-year period. The SBI lab was accredited by ASCLD/LAB five times during this period; none of its inspectors detected the widespread problems with the lab’s policies and procedures. Similar failures have been reported in other accredited labs. ASCLD/LAB re-accredited the US Army Criminal Investigation Command in 2006 even after learning that the lab provided inadequate supervision to a DNA analyst who falsified reports, cut corners, and found DNA in samples where none existed. ASCLD/LAB accredited San Francisco’s crime lab in 2005, only to have the lab shut down when it was discovered that an analyst had been stealing drugs from the lab. External audits revealed heavy case loads for lab workers and that technicians were having trouble maintaining the chain of custody for evidence."
The entire post can be found at:
http://ncforensics.wordpress.com/
See Part Three of this series (the final part) at:
http://ncforensics.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/part-3-iso-and-the-nc-forensic-sciences-act-of-2011/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
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/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.
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.
