Science Thursdays: Possible Senate Investigation of Army Lab
05.19.11
US Senators call for an investigation of the Army’s forensic lab, budget cuts affect forensic pathology services around the country and problematic tests call drunk driving convictions and missed convictions into question in Vermont and Indiana. Here’s a roundup of forensics news:
Senators Leahy and Grassley call for an
investigation
of systemic forensic problems at the Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory.
The DC Medical Examiner’s office, which was accredited in 2008 on a provisional basis, has lost its
accreditation
.
The drop in autopsies of hospital deaths, from 50% of deaths to 5% since 1960, have resulted in missed opportunities to gather
accurate medical data
. The University of Michigan may take over
autopsy services
for Detroit.
The scientific journal,
Nature
, features an article on
jobs in forensic science
for scientists.
Dozens of drunk driving cases are being tossed or dismissed after the discovery that multiple breath testers used by the Vermont State Police were
improperly installed or malfunctioning
for the last two years. According to the Vermont Center for Justice Research, drivers are arrested at a rate of nine per day on drunk driving offenses in the state.
Indiana State Department of Toxicology blood and urine test errors date back to 2004. An audit revealed that on average, the lab produced a
flawed marijuana result every 3.28 days
and a false positive marijuana result once every 18 days. A number of false negative results have been uncovered in serious
drunk driving accidents
.
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