STORY: "Iowa will recheck fired forensic scientist’s work," by reporter Jason Clayford, published by The Des Moines Register on August 16, 2016.
GIST: "The work of a forensic scientist for the state of Iowa
fired this week
after expressing her fears about black people on social media will be
independently reviewed by another criminalist, state officials said
Friday. Iowa Department of Public Safety spokesman Alex Murphy
said such reviews are a common practice after the departure of any
forensic scientist. Guy Cook, a Des Moines
attorney and past president of the Iowa State Bar Association, called on
the Public Safety department to thoroughly review Pollpeter's analyses
and findings, particularly for pending cases. “The
cloud that would be over her work in any criminal case would open the
door to question whether the state has proven a case beyond a reasonable
doubt,” Cook said. “That cloud can’t be removed unless her work is done
independently and a simple recheck is not satisfactory because of the
public statements she has made.” Pollpeter, like other
criminalists performing DNA analysis for the state, was provided with
some information about her cases, including possibly the race and gender
of individuals, Murphy said. A policy adviser for the Innocence
Project, a well-known national group that works with DNA to exonerate wrongly convicted people, noted Pollpeter's situation as an example of
why law enforcement agencies and their criminalists are increasingly
being encouraged to adopt "blind" testing procedures. During such
tests, key details about cases are withheld from forensic scientists to
prevent even the perception that biases might have played a role in
their findings. The National Commission on Forensic Science,
a part of the U.S. Department of Justice,
endorsed the concept last year. “The
views expressed by the examiner are unfortunate. They are offensive,”
said Sarah Chu of the Innocence Project. “But regardless of how we might
judge what she might have said, it’s critical to recognize that we all
come to work with our biases. An effective reform that would protect the
forensic product of the lab is to conduct testing blindly.”........."Several Iowa defense
attorneys said the systematic rechecks of evidence analyzed
by Pollpeter are particularly necessary, given the damaging nature of
her remarks. Each agreed that Pollpeter’s comments could be used
to establish reasonable doubt in upcoming cases and possibly lead to
retrials for people convicted with the use of Pollpeter’s work or
testimony."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/des-moines/2016/07/29/iowa-recheck-fired-forensic-scientists-work/87725218/
See also a related letter to the editor of the Des Moines Register, byTricia Bushnell, Audrey McGinn and Summer Farrar, published by the Des Moines Register on August 14, 2016, under the heading "Blind forensic testing protects results from bias, which is found at the link below; "The views
expressed by the analyst in this article are hurtful, frightening and
sad. This is an opportunity to ask for measures to protect forensic
scientists by incorporating blind forensic testing in protocols, which
will protect results from racial or social bias (intentional or not),
and from the natural functions of the brain that seek to make sense of
our observations. This assures unbiased analysts do not have to work in
the shadow of mistrust. Blind results can let science speak for itself.
"Tricia
Bushnell, Director, Midwest Innocence Project; Audrey McGinn, Director,
Wrongful Conviction Division of the Iowa State Public Defender;
and Summer Farrar, Project Manager, Midwest Innocence Project"
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/08/14/blind-forensic-testing-protects-results-bias/88625566/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty
incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the
harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into
pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology
system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent
stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please
send any comments or information on other cases and issues of
interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;