Exciting Developments for Our Upcoming Course

We’re gearing up for our Property & Evidence Certification Course on February 15-16 in San Francisco, and are pleased to announce that the course includes four subject matter specialists. In addition to reviewing the entire property and evidence role, our guest speakers will discuss health and safety/blood borne pathogens, DNA issues, and explosive storage and disposition. This course offers in-depth training and question/answer sessions from seasoned professionals, promises to be a highly informative session, and is essential training for anyone involved in property and evidence. There’s still time to register at HartEvidence.com. We hope to see you there!

Thankful for DNA Evidence

This Thanksgiving, four young men in Illinois have something big to be thankful for: their freedom. On November 16, a Chicago judge overturned the convictions set when the men were teens. They’ve spent years in prison, and DNA proves they didn’t commit the crime.

Since 1989, there have been 280 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States. Nine of these were in California. Decades upon decades of lives have been lost based on various faults, including improperly handled or identified evidence: the second-greatest contributor to wrongful convictions.

Those of us handling property and evidence for our departments or institutions can help to end this madness by following all protocol and taking our jobs with seriousness, professionalism, and precaution. Together we can contribute to end this tragic cycle. For more information, read the in-depth overview on the Innocence Project website.  

Court to Review Law on DNA Sampling of Arrestees

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California state Supreme Court will decide whether police can take DNA samples from anyone arrested for a felony in California, setting aside a San Francisco appellate court's ruling that found the collection violates the constitutional right of privacy. Continued here….(SFGate, October 21, 2011)

You can find additional information on POST Conviction DNA on the California Attorney General's website. Take time to read this most important information.