Two public defenders in Minnesota, not satisfied with a 1 or 2 page summary from the St.Paul crime lab, made the effort and had the chutzpah to demand complete case files, visit the lab, and interview lab staff. What they found was staggering. Controls, procedures, and minimum standards were woefully lacking. When they asked one lab staffer why there weren’t minimum standards in place, the answer was, “I guess I don’t know what minimum standards are.”
Prosecutors are now offering favorable deals in 160 drug cases, and more cases may come under review.
Law enforcement agencies are no longer sending samples for testing to the St.Paul crime lab.
Here are three articles from the St.Paul StarTribune chronicling the story.
Xiong C. St. Paul Crime Lab. Star Tribune, 2012-07-28
Thanks , Phil .
Junk protocol is as bad as junk science .