Scandal in the San Francisco Crime Lab

$140K machine not helping SF DNA crime lab

I thought this was interesting, with all of the emphasis on the backlog of DNA testing. The title is misleading, as there are actually 2 of those machines sitting idle. However, what really caught my attention was the confusion on which crime lab processed the DNA identification of Laci and Conner Peterson. The TV reporter was denied access to the crime lab to do this story, but the article says:

[Cmdr. Denise Schmitt] did say ABC7 was not allowed into the crime lab to see the machines because she said the lab is too sensitive.

However, ABC7 reporter Heather Ishimuru was allowed in the crime lab and given a tour of the facility back in 2003. The case that occupied the crime lab back then was the Lacy Peterson murder case. The Scott Peterson trial was one of the most sensational trials in the city's history.

The DNA crime lab that processed the DNA for Laci and Conner Peterson is the Richmond DNA lab in Richmond CA. Didn't the author of this article know that? Part of the video included in the article is of the Richmond crime lab, located in Richmond CA, I assume, not the SF crime lab, which, of course, is located in San Francisco. A quick check with Heather Ishimuru confirmed that she visited the SF DNA lab in 2003 on a case not directly related to the Peterson case.

The SF crime lab has been reeling from another scandal. San Francisco Crime Lab Scandal Growing, Thousands Of Criminal Cases May Be Dismissed

These cases have to do with the drug unit of the SF crime lab, in which Deborah Madden, a criminalist, is accused of skimming cocaine from the crime lab.

The fallout from San Francisco's lab scandal is still unfolding and experts say it could take years to clean up, especially if authorities fail to establish which criminal cases were compromised.

"I don't think we have a full grasp on the magnitude of this yet," said Jim Norris, former head of the lab. "A lot of this runs on trust that the lab results have been correct, but now people don't think they are. So the whole system has grinded to a halt."

Madden's attorney, Paul DeMeester, said last week that her February talk with police was honest and forthright, and she "talked about all of the wrongdoing she had committed at the lab, which is very minimal."

"And it will take years for the people in that lab and the San Francisco Police Department to come back from that, even if it's one person," Inspector Peter Walsh told Madden on the tape. "If it's a mistake, you just need to tell us it's a mistake."

"I didn't do it," she said, admitting only to snorting small amounts of cocaine spilled on her work station.

The drug unit employed Madden, two other criminalists and a supervisor.

But according to another article in the Deseret News, the problem goes much deeper than Madden.

The lab had at least three technicians working there between July and December, each handling about 5,000 to 7,000 cases a year. The state's average is slightly more than 1,000 cases per year, the report said.

Gascon said the department will hire at least six more technicians to decrease the workload.

The report also found that technicians often left drug evidence in unsecured boxes or lockers ripe for possible theft, and technicians did not record when they may have reopened evidence sampling. The lab also failed to calibrate scales used for weighing drugs, the report said. In a criminal case, the weight of the drug can result in a greater or lesser sentence.

The Medina mailbox

Scott Peterson Case: Truth be Told: If not Scott, then who did it? Part 1 does an excellent job of showing that by Todd's own words, he had to be on Covena on the 24th between 10:35 and 10:50 a.m.

To further illustrate, this first picture shows a very similar mailbox offered on http://www.home-improvement-superstore.com.



This second picture shows the actual mailbox with manila envelopes the same size as the mail that was put out by Susan Medina on the 24th. Susan's outgoing mail consisted of blank forms, thus no need for privacy. The incoming mail, however, would be the completed forms and other sensitive mail for her work. Thus the need for the incoming mail to be under lock and key. When you open the flap, there is a slot that the mailman drops the incoming mail through, to fall into the bottom locked box. Graybill said he had to first remove the outgoing mail, and then deposit the incoming mail. As stated on the Facebook page, Todd would have seen the outgoing mail sticking out, not the incoming mail.



This next picture shows the actual location of the Medina mailbox on December 24, 2002. The privacy wall was built after the burglary/Laci's disappearance, and the mailbox moved to the side of the privacy wall.

New features . . .

I've added some new features to make it easier to share these blog articles. Just below the article, in the white box, you will see some icons: M for email, B for blog, t for twitter, f for facebook, and the globe for Google buzz.

You can also quickly give your reaction to the article.

This feature is globally applied, so all of the past articles now include it.

What did the State pay for?

I recently reported on the amount ModBee reported for reimbursements to Modesto and Stanislaus County for the cost of the investigation into Laci Peterson's disappearance and the subsequent trial of Scott Peterson. I just came across an article in March 2006 when the reimbursements were made: $1.2M in this new reimbursement to Stanislaus County and $760K previously to Stanislaus County. This $1.2M check was hand delivered by State Controller Steve Westly to Stanislaus County Supervisor Jeff Grover as Sharon Rocha looked on.

"Scott Peterson's trial was a 7-digit hit to local law enforcement. The trial was an unprecedented event. Unfortunately, it caused unprecedented burdens on the police and courts," Westly said. "I hope this check for $1,217,567 will help ease the burden and keep Modesto and Stanislaus County safe. This community shouldn't pay the price for Scott Peterson's crimes."

Mr. Westly, no one paid for Scott Peterson's crimes because he didn't commit any. Adultery is not a crime. What the State of California paid for is the Modesto Police Department not being smart enough to know it had Laci's abductors in custody on Jan 2, 2003. And, Mr. Westly, when Scott Peterson is proven factually innocent, I hope you will be the first in line to offer your apology and the first to insist that Scott Peterson and his family be fully reimbursed for the costs they incurred -- his loss of wages, loss of home, loss of vehicles and other property, and loss of life insurance proceeds, and his family's legal costs, plus damages for pain and suffering. And I hope you'll be the first to demand an investigation into how this multi-million dollar wrongful conviction could occur when the abductors were in police custody on Jan 2, 2003.

http://cbs5.com/local/Peterson.trial.Stanislaus.2.441790.html

Lies, lies, lies -- nothing but lies!

The sad truth is, "sources close to the case" aka "sources close to the investigation" aka "anonymous sources" told many more lies than Scott Peterson ever dreamed of telling.

This is one of them -- can any one of you find this in any of the Amber taped phone transcripts? Why not? Because it's a lie; a blatant, bald-faced lie! But on August 24, 2003, when this story broke, millions of Americans relished in the joy of finally having some evidence to nail Scott.

In a Fox News exclusive, sources close to the case said that during a taped phone call between Peterson and Frey, Frey asked her former lover whether he'd had anything to do with his wife Laci Peterson's disappearance.

Responded Peterson, according to the sources: "Yes … uh … uh … but no. But I know who did and I'll tell you later when I see you."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95556,00.html

Did any of them change their minds when the hours and hours of tapes played at the trial failed to include this excerpt? Of course not. They just reverted to the same ole same ole "it didn't really matter if this one piece of evidence proved to be a lie, because there were so many other things that proved he was guilty." And when you pin them down, and one by one expose those pieces of evidence as lies, it's like shooting ducks at a carnival -- they just keep popping up with the same already-exposed-as-lies evidence. Their logic reminds me of this scene from Monte Python's Holy Grail

How much did the Peterson Investigation and Trial Cost?

I've seen various numbers bandied about, but a recent article in the ModBee puts out figures for how much the State reimbursed the MPD and the Stanislaus County DA's office - $1.12M and $860.7K respectively - for a total of $1.98M. The article reports that the reimbursement is "less than half of the combined $4.13 million cost, but was seen as a victory because such requests rarely bring anything."
http://www.modbee.com/2010/03/12/1086085/wholl-pay-for-murder-trial.html

Sad thing is, most of that $4.13M would never have been spent if the MPD had not blinded itself to the obvious culprits -- the Medina burglars. Laci's abduction could have been solved Jan 2 once the two burglars were in custody. No extensive and very expensive Bay searches, no live surveillance, no GPS systems, no wiretaps, no tape recording devices for girlfriends -- none of that was necessary. All that was needed were a couple cops smart enough to know they were being lied to by the burglars -- but it didn't take much more than a 5th grader to figure that one out, given how blatant the lies were.

Maybe the MPD should have outsourced the investigation to 5th graders.

SII Temporarily unavailable

SII, aka PWC-SII, is temporarily unavailable due to server problems. As of this time, the home page is accessible and a few main links, but not everything on the site. I am working to get this resolved as quickly as possible, but it make take a few days.

Soon, the URL will start linking back to this blog -- so everyone will know what is going on.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but such is life with the internet -- glitches and downtime are just a part of life.

UPDATE, June 17: The problem was easier to fix than I thought. Everything should be okay now, as all the page links appear to work and appear to be the most current.

If you notice that something is missing, or appears outdated, then let me know.