Help wanted: External Quality Assurance Officer for Forensic Laboratories

Help wanted: External Quality Assurance Officer for Forensic Laboratories

On occasion I attend various scientific short courses such as the ones put on by the American Chemical Society, the National Fire Protection Association, The Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley or various manufacturers such as Restek, Agilent and the like. I highly commend any lawyer to go to these conferences and seminars. In my opinion it […]

Are we accepting “Moonlight” or the scientific truth in the courtroom

Are we accepting “Moonlight” or the scientific truth in the courtroom

I am going to write something that may shock you, but: There is no such thing as moonlight. Think about it. Moonlight is simply a reflection of sunlight on the moon’s surface. The moon emits no light of its own origin. Yet, people call it moonlight. Moonlight is a misnomer. It is a conceptual myth. […]

Week 65 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

Week 65 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

The Forensic Science Geek of the Week Please visit the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com FaceBook fan page. The week 64 “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: John L. Buckley, Esquire. John L. Buckley, Esquire is our Geek of the Week According to his website: “The Law Office of John L. Buckley, PC specializes in the defense […]

Week 65 Forensic Science Geek of the Week Challenge

Week 65 Forensic Science Geek of the Week Challenge

Our good friend, Ron Moore, Esquire writes us “I actually had a client researching lawyers who looked at the Truth About Forensic Science geek of the week posts and liked my answers. It made a difference in who he decided to hire. Thanks!” So, there is a lot of value in www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek […]

Week 64 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

Week 64 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

The Forensic Science Geek of the Week Please visit the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com FaceBook fan page. The week 64 “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: Richard L. Holcomb, Esquire. Richard L. Holcomb, Esquire is our Geek of the Week According to his website: Richard L. Holcomb has been involved in Criminal Defense Practices since 2001. […]

The Problem of Modern Forensic Science: Novices can become experts at the push of a button

The Problem of Modern Forensic Science: Novices can become experts at the push of a button

I have lamented before about the horrible state of affairs that has developed in modern forensic science and in particular instrumentation. As an industry, the machine manufacturers seek to automate and make these processes so simple that they no longer require true understanding of the underlying science or the process that makes the machine do […]

Emerging technology at the airport: Mass Spectrometry in the Hands of TSA

Emerging technology at the airport: Mass Spectrometry in the Hands of TSA

GE EntryScan is a type of newer technology  EntryScan is the result of a successful five-year partnership between GE, the Pennsylvania State University Gas Dynamics Laboratory and the FAA/TSA. This research effort was based on the concept of understanding the natural airflow around the human body. In April 2003, the TSA confirmed that the EntryScan […]

The Week 64 Forensic Science Geek of the Week Challenge

The Week 64 Forensic Science Geek of the Week Challenge

Our good friend, Ron Moore, Esquire writes us “I actually had a client researching lawyers who looked at the Truth About Forensic Science geek of the week posts and liked my answers. It made a difference in who he decided to hire. Thanks!” So, there is a lot of value in www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek […]

Week 63 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

Week 63 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

The Forensic Science Geek of the Week Please visit the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com FaceBook fan page. The week 63 “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: Gin­ger Mos. Ginger Moss Ginger Moss is our Geek of the Week This is what our Geek of the Week reports to us: I am a homeschooling mom of a […]

Limitations of Forensic Odontology

Limitations of Forensic Odontology

In the past, we have blogged on the severe limitations on pattern recognition as a forensic science discipline. (Pattern Recognition is it Science or an Art?). In fact, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences pointed to one form a pattern recognition as being most problematic: forensic odontology. Most broadly defined, it is […]

The Houston Crime Laboratory: A continuing model of what is wrong?

The Houston Crime Laboratory: A continuing model of what is wrong?

It’s been long known that the Houston Crime Laboratory has struggled for a long time. According to www.hpdlabinvestigation.org the relevant historical context can be summed up as follows: The public crisis that eventually led to the hiring of an independent investigator to review the Crime Lab’s operations began on November 11, 2002, with the first in […]