On September 1, 2013, the American Bar Association released a report (click HERE for full article) about a recent string of crime lab scandals, and how they may affect the rest of the forensic science community. Forensics has been questioned for years, but the issues seem to be coming to a breaking point. Police crime…
Clouds are rolling past Phoenix as I write this, and I’m crossing my fingers that this heat wave will break just in time for some great events coming up around the Valley: NFL season is beginning (game schedule HERE) First Fridays ArtWalk Coyotes v. Kings game on September 15th (put away your white after Monday,…
After a year-and-a-half of grueling litigation, Judge Bernstein of the Maricopa County Superior Court issued a landmark ruling by granting the Motion to Suppress the blood tests. For years, attorneys for the 11 defendants led by Mark D. DuBiel, W. Clifford Girard Jr., Joe St. Louis, and Lawrence Koplow, have been challenging the scientific reliability…
Changes in technology happen very fast, and outside access to information on your personal computer or even on your Smartphone have begun raising very serious Fourth Amendment questions. Recent national events have started to address these changing areas of law, which is struggling to catch up with new technological developments. In fact, the gap between legal…
The National College of DUI Defense hosted its annual seminar at Harvard University. I’ve spent the last few days in Cambridge, MA attending seminars, studying materials, participating in “mock trials” and listening to presentations from national speakers in the field of DUI defense. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to a seminar on…
Summer is definitely underway here, July has finally hit and brought along with it some truly terrifying temperatures. We’ve all been praying for monsoon season to come early this year to relieve us from this blistering heat, and with some luck, this Fourth of July may turn out to be a damp one yet. The…
Over the past year, news articles and scandals about ‘rogue’ crime labs all across the country have started to surface. The attached story about falsified or misleading analyst testimony supports suspect test results in court. These instances of deliberately falsifying or manipulating test results is shocking: think of all of the wrongful convictions made under faulty DNA or blood…
Memorial Day was first established as a national day of remembrance in 1868 several years after the end of the Civil War. Today it is still recognized as a day of respect for those who have died during the wars. Today, Memorial Day is still a national day of reverence, and has also become a…
Last week, the Daubert hearings at the Maricopa County Superior Court came to a close. A decision is expected to come down later this summer. Articles and Valley news coverage have been highlighting the significance of this case, and the serious effects caused by a police-run crime lab not attempting to repair its malfunctioning equipment….
In today’s world, nearly everything we use is influenced in one way or another by software. Smart phones are overtaking the cell phone market. Almost everybody in the family has a personal computer, or uses one at work. Cars have sophisticated touch screens, and there is now Wi-Fi atop Mount Everest. (No, seriously). While you don’t…
