Forensics failures: laziness in the lab.

• Author: Krisai, Lauren
• Position: Crime lab scandals - Brief article

A series of crime lab scandals over the past several months have rocked the forensics world. A scientist at the Oregon state crime lab is accused of stealing pills submitted as evidence by law enforcement for analysis and testing. She faces federal charges and was put on leave last fall. But because this analyst worked on roughly 1,500 cases, all her work is now considered "tainted."

Oregon State Police are investigating the same lab for another possible scandal. According to a letter issued by the department, a forensic scientist matched a fingerprint without following proper procedures, then altered his report to make it seem like he had. It's unclear how many cases this analyst worked on.

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