Crutcher's report, initially made public in October , questioned whether hundreds of cases could be affected since the lab wasn't following policy. Exhibits attached to the state's report said a disclosure notice has been added into every DA's case that Crutcher worked, meaning attorneys will be notified about the complaint and allowed to ask questions about it.
The DA's office will also review each case Crutcher touched to determine if it should re-test evidence. The office told Crutcher in a March letter that one case had to be re-tested at cost to the police department. Questions about Crutcher's employment were also reviewed by the panel, which noted that the lab manager's response to Crutcher's concerns "ultimately created more problems than it solved.
Most of the issues that Crutcher outlined in her complaint were not subject to the jurisdiction of the commission and were therefore not investigated, General Counsel Lynn Garcia said during a commission meeting in July. Part of Crutcher's complaint referred to the "DNA submission form" document, specifically regarding a yes or no question that gives a forensic scientist "permission to consume" the sample.
Consuming evidence means the scientist can use part or all of a DNA sample during testing. According to the lab's policy, a forensic scientist should keep an untested portion of the evidence sample, unless the scientist has reason to believe that using the entire sample will yield a stronger result. Using the full sample means that if the test isn't done correctly, if it comes back inconclusive or the defendant wants to test it, then subsequent tests might not be possible because the entire sample has been used by the prosecution, according to multiple attorneys who spoke with the Star-Telegram.
For the lab to have permission to consume a sample, the OK must be given by the case investigator. This is in line with FBI protocols and policies at crime labs across the country. The Fort Worth policy states: "This form must be fully completed by the Detective. However, the crime lab's liaison, Sundaye Lopez, had been signing the permission form to consume documents herself, according to court documents. According to testimony given by Lopez during a murder trial, the former lab director gave her permission to help detectives fill out the DNA submission form, and that permission was continued by Michael Ward, the lab's current director, according to the document.
When the state's team interviewed employees of the biology unit, they found that members of the unit didn't realize that Lopez had been filling out the form in some cases until Crutcher had made her first complaint.
They agreed that the policy had been broken. Garcia said Lopez was doing her job in good faith by trying to provide customer service to the police department, but she did not keep any documentation that showed detectives gave her permission to consume. The police department then investigated its own lab and found no wrongdoing. Crutcher took issue with the fact that the investigator, Sgt. Moments before landing on a stormy day in , high winds hit Delta and the pilots lose control of the plane.
The fiery crash kills people and creates an urgent need for changes to keep passengers safe. This article tagged under: delta DFW Airport. Back to Article. Close Menu. Search for:. Follow Us Facebook Twitter Instagram. Neighbors saw the pilots and their ejection seats falling from the sky, as the plane itself crashed behind a trio of homes and erupted into flames. When the smoke cleared Sept. The U. Department of Defense agrees — a plane crash in a dense neighborhood could indeed be catastrophic.
But a Star-Telegram investigation found that more than homes sit on land the Defense Department has labeled unsuitable for residential use because of the risk of an airplane crash. Although the cities of Fort Worth and Lake Worth have decided that the existing homes can remain despite the risk, no one is responsible for notifying existing or future residents about the dangers.
Not the cities, not the county, not the state and not the Navy. I do think that the city is safe. The runway, which is also used by Lockheed Martin, handles about 25, takeoffs and landings per year, a Navy spokesperson said. A review of the Star-Telegram archives turned up at least five plane crashes near the base in the past 40 years. In the s, the Defense Department started a program to discourage certain types of development in the immediate area around military bases, where plane crashes are more likely because of the tendency for crashes to occur during takeoff or landing.
The Air Installations Compatible Use Zones program has a dual mission — to protect residents and to protect military operations.
The Defense Department recommends no housing of any kind in the areas closest to the runways.
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