Barbara Sloan; (Arizona). Outrageous arson "science" case: An account of how a wrongful arson conviction was narrowly averted. Channel 12: The Arson Project;

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am grateful to Paul Bieber of the Arson Project for drawing attention to the Barbara Sloan  case which is described as "a wrongful arson conviction narrowly averted." As the Arson Project site notes:  "In a near toxic mix of junk science, cognitive bias and sheer negligence, Phoenix Fire Department Fire Investigator Sam Richardson tries his best to add one more name to the list of the wrongly convicted. From Phoenix, Arizona, here’s the local news account from Channel 12."   Many aspects of the sub-standard Phoenix Fire Department investigation. But I was particularly horrified by the Department's  reliance on an "accelerant detecting canine," which it deemed more reliable, accurate and precise than the  laboratory test.

POST: "A wrongful arson conviction narrowly averted," published by "The Arson Project.

GIST: "In a near toxic mix of junk science, cognitive bias and sheer negligence, Phoenix Fire Department Fire Investigator Sam Richardson tries his best to add one more name to the list of the wrongly convicted."

The entire post can be found at:

http://thearsonproject.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/a-wrongful-arson-conviction-narrowly-averted/

The Channel 12 video caqn be directly accessed at:

http://www.azcentral.com/video/2152644923001

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/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.