Crime Lab to Be Examined
In light of the finding of the innocence of a North Carolina Man,Gregory F. Taylor ,North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has ordered a review of the state's crime lab after disclosures about practices there that led to the exoneration of Mr.Taylor who had been wrongly accused of murder.Two former assistant directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation will review the crime lab's practices and protocols in criminal cases dating back to the 1990's. I had previously reported that a special panel reviewed Mr.Taylor's case and found by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Taylor was innocent.The conviction was based on flawed evidence from the crime lab.One key piece of evidence used at trial was blood stain evidence. The stains found in the truck were not human blood which the prosecutor alleged.
The point of this story is that crime labs are not infallible.In this age of "CSI" evidence , jurors have placed blind faith in forensic evidence such as paint transfers, blood tests,fingerprints.Testing protocols should be called into question or investigated in serious felony cases where the case is based primarily on forensic evidence.
Wait until Metro PD gets it's own crime lab, which they are hard pressed to justify. It may very well turn out to be criminal defense lawyers relief lab.