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Sexual Assault Kit Backlogs - What Exactly are the Issues?
May 13, 2013 8:00 pm | CommentsFind out some of the real, underlying issues behind why so many sexual assault kits go untested in this highly readable article by NIJ’s Nancy Ritter.
Fifty Brooklyn Murder Cases to be Reviewed
May 13, 2013 4:45 pm | CommentsThe Brooklyn district attorney’s office has ordered a review of some 50 murder cases assigned to an acclaimed homicide detective, an acknowledgment of mounting questions about the officer’s tactics and the legitimacy of the convictions.
Higher Demand being Placed on State Crime Labs
May 13, 2013 10:23 am | CommentsCrime fighting in the 21st century is becoming increasingly dependent on forensic analysis from sophisticated crime labs.
Forensics Could Link Boston Bombers to 2011 Triple Murder
May 13, 2013 10:10 am | CommentsMassachusetts investigators have developed what they call "mounting evidence," bolstered by "forensic hits," that point to the possible involvement of both Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother Dzhokhar in a gruesome, unsolved triple homicide in 2011.
DNA Test Confirms Father of Child Born in Captivity
May 13, 2013 9:42 am | CommentsDNA test results confirmed that Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man accused of kidnapping and raping three women held for years in his rundown home, is the father of a 6-year-old girl born in captivity to one of his alleged victims, Ohio’s attorney general said.
Biometric Database of All Adult Americans Hidden in Immigration Reform
May 13, 2013 9:11 am | CommentsThe immigration reform measure the Senate began debating recently would create a national biometric database of virtually every adult in the U.S., in what privacy groups fear could be the first step to a ubiquitous national identification system.
Attempt to Curb Access to Photos of Murder Victims
May 12, 2013 8:00 pm | CommentsAndy Kahan, the head of Houston’s Crime Victims Assistance Office, said it was the publication of graphic crime scene photographs, which showed the bodies of the victims, that drove him to seek a change in Texas law to limit access to crime scene photos.
Identification and Separation of Evidence Mixtures Using SNP-Based FISH Techniques and Laser Microdissection
May 12, 2013 8:00 pm | CommentsThe goal of this research was to separate cellular mixtures of the same morphology and gender by developing FISH probes based on human genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
International Symposium Takes Aim at Cross Border Gun Crime
May 10, 2013 9:59 am | CommentsCriminals are crossing from one country to the other without any restrictions. And that’s exactly what 250 law enforcement and forensic experts from 70 countries are preparing to do when they gather in Montreal to attend the INTERPOL Firearm Forensics Symposium identified as IFFS 2013.
Ohio Crime Lab Rushing Ariel Castro's DNA Test
May 10, 2013 9:39 am | CommentsOhio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office said the Ohio state crime lab received a sample of Ariel Castro's DNA. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation lab staff is rushing the DNA testing to provide investigators with results that would show if he is linked to any other crimes.
Execution for Prison Guard Murder Delayed for DNA Tests
May 10, 2013 9:26 am | CommentsTexas lawyers have agreed to a 60-day reprieve for death row inmate Robert Pruett, who was scheduled for execution May 21, after the inmate filed a request for DNA testing, arguing it may prove his innocence in the 1999 stabbing of prison correctional officer Daniel Nagle.
Assembly Considers DNA Testing Bill, Brianna's Law
May 10, 2013 9:07 am | CommentsA bill that would require the collection of DNA from people arrested on felony charges in Nevada encountered tough questions from lawmakers concerned that samples from innocent people would not be destroyed properly or promptly.
Identification and Separation of Same Gender Mixtures of Various Cell Types
May 9, 2013 8:00 pm | CommentsThe goal of this research was to improve the methods of DNA mixture resolution in the forensic laboratory by improving laser microdissection (LM) techniques. Laser microdissection (LM) has proven to be an effective method for cell mixture separations in the forensic laboratory.
Australian Government Selects 3M for New Multi-modal Biometrics System
May 9, 2013 8:00 pm | CommentsThe Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has awarded 3M a three-year contract to provide software and services for DIAC’s new Biometric Identification System. The new system is designed to handle the acquisition, quality checking, matching and storage of biometric data.
Bodies from Collapsed Bangladesh Factory Sent for DNA Tests
May 9, 2013 10:06 am | CommentsThe death toll from the collapse of a building housing five garment factories has climbed to nearly 900, officials said, as authorities continue to search for more bodies two weeks after the worst garment manufacturing disaster in the world.
