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Stand up for the Detroit Forensic Scientists

Stand Up for the Detroit Forensic Lab Scientists
Are Our Citizen’s Safer?
Or, Is This a Rush to Judgment?
LET’S TEST HOW MUCH WE REALLY KNOW OR DON’T KNOW:

1. The MSP Preliminary Audit cites an alleged error rate of 19 out of 200 cases reviewed.
Over what period of time were those 19 errors made?
1 Day 1 Month 1 Year 1 Decade

2. Did the MSP Preliminary Audit compare its error rate to the DPD ballistics error rate?
Yes/ No

3. What is the MSP ballistics error rate?
Necessary to provide the decision makers with context

4. Did you know that the MSP and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office claim that a 0%
is the only acceptable standard?
- Do you really believe that MSP has a 0% ballistics error rate? That they
are perfect?
- If you do not believe that MSP is perfect, then you are being deceived by
numbers.
- Where else has MSP deceived you here?

5. If you believe that no one is perfect, not even MSP, then could the real MSP error rate be
19 out of 200?

6. Did you know that the two DPD firearms examiners responsible for the alleged 19 errors
out of 200 cases are uniformed officers who have no forensics education or background?
A major anomaly in comparison with the scientific education and experience of
the remainder of the civilian laboratory scientists.

7. Did you know that the Detroit DPD, MSP and Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office
representatives testified Tuesday in Lansing before Senators Garcia and Cropsey of the
Senate Appropriations Committee that the problems at the Detroit Forensic Services Lab
was not incompetence but a lack of manpower and resources due to under funding?
So if under funding is the issue, address funding as the problem and not deceive
us with claims of incompetence.

8. Did you know that the MSP representative asked the Senate Appropriations Committee
for $15 million in additional funding to take on the Detroit Forensics caseload on
Tuesday?
MSP is underfunded just like DPD?

9. Could the DPD Forensics Lab do a “better job” with the resources and manpower that
the same $15 million would provide MSP?

10. How come MSP needs $15 million additional dollars to take over the DPD Forensics
load when the DPD Forensics Lab budget is approximately $8 million?

11. How much of the $15 million in additional funding will MSP divert to help pay for its
new Lansing Headquarters building, currently under construction, designed to replace
the building MSP pays $1.00 per year now?
Maybe more money and new Headquarters equals new political opportunity.

12. Did you know that HB 5811 (P.A. 249 of 2008), which enacted the 2008-09 State Police
Budget appropriated $200,000 for the hiring of a Quality Assurance Manager and an
additional Biologist at the Detroit Crime Lab to be available October 1st?
Did you know that DPD Personnel was finalizing a job description and posting
for the new Quality Assurance Manager when the Interim Mayor closed the
Crime Lab on September 25th?

13. Did the Prosecutor or Interim Mayor know of these additional resources that were due to
come on line and help alleviate the work load and improve the Crime Lab’s quality?
Help was on the way when the Lab was closed!

14. Where is that $200,000 Now? And who controls it?
DPD?  Interim Mayor?  MSP?

15. Would the hiring of a new Quality Assurance Manager at the Crime Lab have fixed the
problems found by the Preliminary Audit?

16. Do you really think that the State will give MSP the additional $15 million it asked the
Senate Appropriations Committee for on Tuesday?
If not, what will happen to Detroit’s Forensics needs if MSP does not get the
money?

17. Did you know that not one person in the decision making circle surrounding this action
has a forensics background?
The Interim Mayor?  The Prosecutor?  The Chief of Police?

18. Did you know that MSP does not do gun shot residue testing and analysis? And, that the
DPD Forensic Lab did?
Who will conduct gunshot residue tests if the Detroit Crime Lab stays closed? A
private laboratory?
If so, who will pay those much higher private contractor costs?

19. How will MSP prioritize the Detroit crime caseload with its own current and future
caseload?
Will Detroit crime fighting quality be enhanced or degraded here?

20. What if MSP can’t handle the increased workload, will you ever know or will you be
deceived?
Will Detroit’s crime fighting quality be enhanced or degraded here?

21. Who stands to benefit from the closure of the Detroit Crime Lab?


If your answer to these questions is “I don’t know” Then, you must ask yourselves “has there been a rush to judgment here?” If the whole Crime Lab needed to be closed because of the alleged inaccuracies
of two non-forensic uniformed officers . . ..Then . . .Wouldn’t it be a logical extension that the entire city government should be dismissed for the felonious misbehavior of the ex-Mayor Kilpatrick?