Bulletin: Houston crime lab: (From this Blog's 'Accidents happen?' department): The Houston Chronicle reports a reviewer's recommendation, "that the city's forensic science center revise its policy procedures concerning quality control, following an investigation into three separate incidents last year in which analysts mistakenly contaminated evidence."..."Houston's crime lab requested the inquiry last month after an anonymous complaint was filed with the Texas Forensic Science Commission regarding the repeated misuse of new lab equipment, leading to tainted blood specimens. OIG inspectors said lab staff took too long to report the initial error, which occurred last May, but did not find malfeasance. "OIG sustains the concern that none of the individuals in the operational chain of command on notice of the error notified the quality director of the May 2015 error, resulting in an improper reporting delay from May to November," Inspector General Robin Curtis wrote. "Because of the totality of the circumstances including the large amount of contemporaneous discussion about the May 2015 error within the operational chain, OIG does not find any malfeasance in the error." In addition to suggesting policy revisions, the OIG urged the Houston Forensic Science Center to address error review in regularly scheduled staff meetings, retrain staff, ensure contractors understand their quality control responsibilities and self-disclose errors to the state's forensic science commission."

"Houston's Office of Inspector General recommended Wednesday that the city's forensic science center revise its policy procedures concerning quality control, following an investigation into three separate incidents last year in which analysts mistakenly contaminated evidence. Houston's crime lab requested the inquiry last month after an anonymous complaint was filed with the Texas Forensic Science Commission regarding the repeated misuse of new lab equipment, leading to tainted blood specimens. OIG inspectors said lab staff took too long to report the initial error, which occurred last May, but did not find malfeasance. "OIG sustains the concern that none of the individuals in the operational chain of command on notice of the error notified the quality director of the May 2015 error, resulting in an improper reporting delay from May to November," Inspector General Robin Curtis wrote. "Because of the totality of the circumstances including the large amount of contemporaneous discussion about the May 2015 error within the operational chain, OIG does not find any malfeasance in the error." In addition to suggesting policy revisions, the OIG urged the Houston Forensic Science Center to address error review in regularly scheduled staff meetings, retrain staff, ensure contractors understand their quality control responsibilities and self-disclose errors to the state's forensic science commission. The city's crime lab said in a press release Friday that it began an internal review last October and has since updated its procedures. It also noted that the end result was not affected in any of the three incidents, as analysts were able to test a second, uncontaminated vial of blood."
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-crime-lab-revises-policies-after-7062924.php