Tag Archives: forensics

In which we try again to eliminate a rape kit backlog

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

How exactly did we get here? The city’s independent crime lab on Tuesday announced an ambitious plan to clear a backlog of hundreds of rape kits and other DNA evidence, the latest effort to rein in a recurring problem that … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In which we try again to eliminate a rape kit backlog

Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences officially opens

Posted on March 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. The greater Houston region now has a sophisticated asset to investigate and solve crimes with the official opening of the new Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (HCIFS). Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and other dignitaries, including Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences officially opens

HPD wants control of crime scene forensics for officer-involved shootings

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No. Houston’s acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo, with the support of the powerful Houston Police Officers Union, has made a behind-closed-doors bid to take back control over the troubled Crime Scene Unit from the city’s independent forensic science lab. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DNA mixtures

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Grits reports on the latest developments in forensics at a hearing of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, and what it means to the legal system in Texas and elsewhere. First, a bit of background. DNA testing looks at two metrics … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on DNA mixtures

Forensic Science Commission to examine bite mark evidence

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The board charged with ensuring that reliable scientific evidence is used in Texas courtrooms agreed on Friday to investigate cases in which bite mark analysis was used to secure a conviction. “We’re talking about the whole field, the validity … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Forensic Science Commission to examine bite mark evidence

More on the new Crime Lab boss

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Dr. Daniel Garner, the CEO and president of the Houston Forensic Science Center. Daniel Garner was ready to drift quietly into retirement after decades on the forefront in the field of forensic science. The last part of his career … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the new Crime Lab boss

Is there any valid evidence of Todd Willingham’s guilt left?

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Washington Post has a long piece examining the connection between the jailhouse snitch whose testimony helped send Cameron Todd Willingham to death row and the prosecutor who has long denied taking any action to influence that testimony. For more … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Is there any valid evidence of Todd Willingham’s guilt left?

How much will science advance in the courts?

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to the CCA to decide. Texas’ highest criminal court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that could affect how evolving scientific evidence is used in courtrooms across the state. For Neal H. Robbins, the high court’s decision … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How much will science advance in the courts?

More evidence of Cameron Willingham’s innocence

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The scientific evidence against Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 for the arson deaths of his three children, has long been discredited. The other piece of evidence used against him at trial was the testimony of a jailhouse … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More evidence of Cameron Willingham’s innocence

Anthony Robinson named to crime lab LGC

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent choice. The latest appointment to the city’s crime lab oversight board brings a unique perspective to the post. Anthony Robinson spent 10 years in prison for a rape he did not commit before being exonerated by the kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Anthony Robinson named to crime lab LGC

Bite marks

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Grits reminds us that not all forensic science is scientific. I ran across an interesting article documenting critiques of forensic dentistry. In it, bite mark expert Dr. Gregory Golden: concedes that there’s little scientific research to back claims from forensic … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Bite marks

Meet the new Crime Lab boss

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

He sounds impressive. The fuzzy process of shifting the city of Houston’s crime lab from the Houston Police Department to an independent board got a little clearer Wednesday with the hiring of a president and CEO for the new operation. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Meet the new Crime Lab boss

Solving car crimes with DNA

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This story is basically a commercial for Harris County’s crime lab – Did you know that since they have no testing backlog on personal crime cases they can focus on property crimes? It’s true! – but it’s still pretty cool. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Senate approves rape kit testing bill

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier this week I mentioned a bill, SB1636, by Sen. Wendy Davis that aimed at getting thousands of untested rape kits analyzed. I’m pleased to say that it was passed unanimously by the Senate today, and now heads to the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate approves rape kit testing bill

Two forensic bills

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas has thousands of untested rape kits in it, and a bill to try to make something happen with them. The bill, by Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, would require a police department to submit a rape kit to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some criminal justice quick hits

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some short commentary on a few articles that have appeared lately and were worth mentioning. Murray Newman disputes the need for a public defender’s office in Harris County. I’m perfectly willing to accept the idea that there’s a better way … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some criminal justice quick hits

Yet another innocence frontier

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Scent lineups. The Innocence Project of Texas said Friday that scent identification lineups, in which trained dogs determine if a suspect’s smell matches the smell of crime scene evidence, are based on faulty science and have led to a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the Willingham report

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that the Texas Commission on Forensic Sciences has received its report on the botched investigation of Cameron Todd Willingham and the likelihood that he was convicted and executed for a non-crime, will that help improve forensic standards so that … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

CSI: Needs Improvement

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Gil Grissom got out at just the right time. Crime labs nationwide must be overhauled to prevent the types of mistakes that put innocent people in prison and leave criminals out on the street, researchers have concluded. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CSI: Needs Improvement

Report: Most elected officials refuse to contribute to their own prosecution

Posted on February 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the headline to this story should read. Public records examined by the Austin American-Statesman show that most elected officials who have been stopped on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in recent years have declined to consent to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Report: Most elected officials refuse to contribute to their own prosecution

Innocence

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg examines what Circuit Judge Jacques L. Wiener Jr. referred to as “the elephant in the room” in granting a stay of execution to Larry Swearingen. The nation’s highest court hasn’t directly addressed whether a claim of actual innocence … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments