tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post3643718553031099943..comments2024-03-15T05:45:01.402-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: El Paso hires private crime lab for in-house testingGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-86395204944173065112012-09-04T10:27:42.872-05:002012-09-04T10:27:42.872-05:00My impression is that in instances where analyst b...My impression is that in instances where analyst bias has been documented the bias doesn't result from the analysts having too much information, but from having laboratories too intertwined with law enforcement, so that analysts view come to view themselves as part of the prosecution and not as independent agents providing independent evaluations. When labs are independently funded and administered government departments, separate from police agencies and DA offices, then it is possible to create a culture of independence reasonably easily. When a lab is part of a police department, or in this case is a contracted service provider to a police department, it becomes more difficult to ensure true independence. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-18492451274112077002012-09-01T15:35:26.842-05:002012-09-01T15:35:26.842-05:00For starters, why doesn't El Paso just hire pe... For starters, why doesn't El Paso just hire people that can do the job professionally, ethically, and intelligently?<br /><br />Or, why doesn't DPS set up a lab in El Paso (with "free" service)?<br /><br />And, FleaStiff, your hypothetical also extends down to the forensic analyst who will also get pressured to "find" the results that the police/DA needs.<br /><br />Because of this possibility, forensic personnel should NEVER select the test. The police/DAO should be informed (by the forensic analyst) what tests the labs provide, limitations of the tests, and the error rates. Minimal contextual info should be given to analyst in order to keep them unbiased.<br /><br />And, does anyone know why the SHSU lab lost their lease after less than a year? Why was there not a 10 year lease signed? It just seems ridiculous to set up a very expensive crime lab just to have it moved to a new location. It's a HUGE costly undertaking!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-58353617936232777402012-09-01T11:23:37.869-05:002012-09-01T11:23:37.869-05:00Perhaps, FleaStiff, but I think those scenarios wo...Perhaps, FleaStiff, but I think those scenarios would present and resolve themselves pretty quickly. Testing has to be prioritized by somebody when budgets are limited, or else months-long backlogs shift costs to other parts of the system, like jails. IMO shifting to fee for service would force everybody to adopt more realistic expectations and promote fiscal discipline in an arena where right now jurisdictions without their own labs falsely pretend that the service is "free." That's unsustainable.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-43532744660774985152012-09-01T11:16:55.333-05:002012-09-01T11:16:55.333-05:00Fee for Services can lead to pressure on police to...Fee for Services can lead to pressure on police to select tests rather than forensic personnel selecting the tests. This can lead to such circumstances as Lab performs dna tests on knife but then the case gets to court and prosecutor asks "is this knife the murder weapon".FleaStiffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09837830811566745662noreply@blogger.com