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Friday, October 29, 2010

Ind. Courts - "An auditor hired by the state Department of Toxicology is reviewing all of the department's drug test results from 2007-09 -- including those used for criminal convictions -- because of concerns about accuracy"

So begins the Indianapolis Star story today reported by Mark Alesia and Tim Evans. This comes after numerous earlier stories detailing a large backlog of toxicology text results from the state lab at Indiana University; the suggestion that the "State's toxicology department might be better off on its own than under the administration of IU's medical school;" IU's retaining Scott Newman as a consultant; the appointment of a task force to write legislation to effect the separation, etc. See the complete list here.

Some quotes from today's lengthy story:

Most Indiana law enforcement agencies, including the Indiana State Police, use the lab for blood testing. Marion County, which has its own lab, does not.

Former Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman, hired in August to fix problems at the troubled agency, stressed that he doesn't know yet whether any results are inaccurate. But he said the situation was such that "a person who is responsible would not feel comfortable and would feel the need to investigate."

Newman said he would be able to announce the first findings of the audit within 30 days.

"If a single case arrives at a point where I have a reasonable certainty either that it's not right or I can't prove that it's right," he said, "I will immediately notify the attorneys in that case." * * *

Steve Johnson, executive director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, said prosecutors statewide are concerned about how the situation might affect current and past cases. He said it's essential that prosecutors can trust lab results.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 29, 2010 09:48 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts | Indiana Government