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February 06, 2009

Your local police are unscientific

At least when it comes to forensics. That’s the conclusion of an strongly worded report by no less than the National Academy of Science — a report which the Department of Justice had tried to kill or delay, “rightfully” worried about the findings.

It’s not the first time the National Academy has fou8nd fault with police “science” at either the local, state or federal level. A 2004 report repudiated the F.B.I. technique of matching the chemical signatures of lead in bullets at a crime scene to similar bullets possessed by a suspect.

The nonbinding report says Congress should create a federal agency to guarantee the independence of the field.

That said, although the report is nonbinding, it’s a huge tool for criminal defense attorneys; Congress is going to have to adopt the basic findings of the report.

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