Pubdate: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 Source: Journal Gazette, The (IN) Copyright: 2005 The Journal Gazette Contact: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/908 OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN Taken on its own, the inadvertent destruction of evidence by the Indiana State Police's forensic lab could be easily viewed as an inevitable error. No system is perfect. But news of the state police crime lab's latest mishap, which led to the dismissal of drug charges against an Adams County man, comes within weeks of the Fort Wayne lab's report of mold growing on biological evidence involving five cases -- a homicide and four sexual assaults. Police officials say both cases are isolated incidents. Undoubtedly so, but the cumulative effect of the problems isn't building people's confidence in one of the most important functions in the justice system. There doesn't appear to be crisis of confidence coming from the state lab commander, Maj. Ed Littlejohn. The entire state police forensic lab system will begin a self-audit in January as part of its annual certification requirements for the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors. Littlejohn, who has worked in the state lab for 27 years, says that certification requires the lab to list any deficiencies in procedure, as well as to document the corrective action taken. As an example, since the mold incident, there has been an inspection of stored evidence at all four crime labs. Despite the mishaps, there's at least one bit of good news for the Indiana State Police: the backlog of cases declined by more than half in less than a year. Littlejohn attributes the backlog decrease to the drop in methamphetamine work due to new restrictions on ingredients, the hiring of additional personnel and prosecutors alerting officials about cases that have been adjudicated or dismissed. The drop in the backlog is welcome news. Still, there are few things more disconcerting for people inside or outside the justice system than reading about troubles involving the state lab. The harshest criticism came from Ed Blake, a California-based forensic consultant, who questioned the Fort Wayne lab's competence after hearing about the mold. And attorney Michelle Kraus' comments shouldn't be taken lightly by the state police. Repeated mistakes "opens the door to question the competency (of the lab)," Kraus told reporter Sara Eaton. Although it doesn't have to, state police ought to share, in layman's terms, the results of its certification study. This is the best way to build public confidence, as well as educate people about the lab's operations. But if problems persist, the state police should consider an audit from outside experts to build public confidence and secure an important part of the state's justice system. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman