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Crime lab backlogs soared after Baltimore prosecutors pushed to test every gun
In August 2018, amid relentless gun violence sweeping the city, the Baltimore Police Department’s forensic laboratory dramatically shifted priorities: The lab began processing every recovered firearm for fingerprints and DNA instead of testing guns on a case-by-case basis. The policy change came at the urging of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, which faced pressure [[...]
Md. high court faults CSI effect instruction, overturns conviction
A judge’s television crime drama-inspired jury instruction that prosecutors need not present forensic evidence to prove guilt was a harmful error, Maryland’s top court ruled Friday in overturning a man’s robbery and assault conviction and 30-year prison sentence. In its 5-2 decision, the Court of Appeals said the judge’s instruction had unfairly tipped the scales […]
Police: Accused burglar doesn’t flush toilet, leaves DNA for analysis
VENTURA, Calif. — Investigators say a suspect accused of burglarizing a Southern California home took a bathroom break and left DNA evidence in the toilet that led to his arrest. Detective Tim Lohman of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office says the suspect did not flush during the October break-in in the city of Thousand Oaks. […]
