Pubdate: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 Source: Charleston Gazette (WV) Copyright: 2002 Charleston Gazette Contact: http://www.wvgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/77 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption) CRIME LAB More Problems NOTHING is more sacred than the principle of trustworthy justice. Lives are at stake. When society sends a criminal suspect to prison, the public needs to feel sure that the evidence was accurate and the outcome was as fair as possible. That's why the Fred Zain scandal was so horrifying. The former State Police crime lab chief falsified test results to help obtain convictions, putting innocent men in prison on rape charges. When DNA tests proved their innocence, taxpayers coughed up millions to pay for false imprisonment. That scandal tainted the State Police lab - a taint later reinforced when another of the lab's chemists, Todd McDaniel, pleaded guilty to falsifying test results on marijuana. And now a third problem has surfaced. State Police Superintendent Howard Hill suspended two more lab officers during an investigation of drug tests. The FBI has been asked to conduct an independent probe, and an outside lab will retest evidence from narcotics prosecutions. With so much stench arising, the public may distrust all evidence presented in criminal trials by crime lab officers. Maybe it's time to change labs. Dow Chemical plans to turn the South Charleston Tech Center into a high-tech park housing numerous scientific ventures. A state-of-the-art forensic lab, jointly operated by Marshall University and the State Police, is one possibility under consideration. Also, West Virginia University has offered to join State Police in operating a Morgantown lab. Either, or both, sounds good. Any change would be an improvement. We hope an upgraded lab becomes a reality, and trustworthy justice is achieved. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom