Double Loop Podcast

Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray are joined by Alan McNamara to continue discussing the case that sent him to jail. Alan shares his story from the day the police first knocked on his door through the trials and appellate hearings. His first-hand account of this miscarriage of justice is an eye-opener for forensic scientists and for everyone with an interest in the criminal justice system anywhere in the world. Images and reports from this case are available at patreon.com/DoubleLoopPodcast.

Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg continue their discussion of the Alan McNamara case from the UK. This time they start with the trial and then go through many of the expert witnesses that got involved in this case. Why do all the test lifts from the jewelry box have a wood grain in the background, but there is no grain in the evidence lift? Does the hook or Chinese character shape mean anything? How important is testimony about the homeowner's cleaning schedule? Can latent prints survive regular cleanings? Should there be questions about the accuracy of the latent print identifications to the homeowner? Eric then reads some of the internet comments that were made when the Alan McNamara case was first featured on the BBC's Panorama. Join us again on the next episode where we interview Alan McNamara.

Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray discuss the case of Alan McNamara from the UK. In this episode we cover the details of the burglary and how the police focused on Alan McNamara. Despite many issues in the latent print evidence, charges moved forward. The prosecution's entire case was based on a single latent print with questionable documentation.

Eric and Glenn return from a hiatus to have a more relaxed catch-up episode. They share an adventure or two including the great Arizona Treasure Hunt that they participated in. Eric shares some experiences from the User Conference he worked. And finally the guys talk about the Double Loop Podcast booth experience at the 2022 Omaha IAI Educational Conference. They play a bunch of clips and recordings from our “Correspondent” Rebecca Coutant who was running the booth and playing “(Wo)Man on the Street” to get some attendee perspectives.

Eric and Glenn interview returning guest, and newly minted PhD, Dr. Henry Swofford on his recent paper, with co-author Prof. Christophe Champod: “Probabilistic reporting and algorithms in forensic science: Stakeholder perspectives within the American criminal justice system” (For Sci Intl Synergy 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2022.100220). The new article discusses interview responses from judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, scholars, and forensic laboratory managers regarding their perspective on how to validate, implement, litigate, and communicate probabilistic tools and algorithms in American courts. They discuss different quotes and perspectives from the paper and relate that to their own experiences and observations. Henry also makes an important reference to a companion paper, that provides concrete recommendations and a strategy towards implementation by practitioners: “Implementation of algorithms in pattern and impression evidence: A responsible and practical roadmap” (FSI Synergy 2021; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2021.100142).

Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray sit down with Brianne Breedlove from Uncover Forensics to discuss online training and how things have changed in professional forensic training over the past few years. What are the challenges in this new format? What are the benefits that we could never do before? At the beginning Eric and Glenn finish off last episode's discussion on disclosure. Make sure to check out the new shirts and other merchandise at DoubleLoopPodcast.com.

Today, Eric and Glenn FINALLY review the Stephan Cowans case, a case of an erroneous identification from Boston where a fingerprint identification was critical evidence used to convict Cowans in 1998. This case is one of the few Innocence Project cases where there was an erroneous fingerprint identification but DNA was able to exonerate Cowans in 2004 (and the true source of the latent print was later identified). Eric and Glenn go through the major elements of the case and the subsequent review of the Boston Police Department Latent Print Unit by an external consultant. At the end, they discuss the critical improvements and advancements made in the wake of the error and why these cases are still important today to review and remember.

Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg go round and around on the topic of how to disclose errors to defense. Should your errors be listed in your CV? Should they be disclosed to defense automatically? Only on request? They guys finish the episode reading an email from a listener about their experience with QC after an erroneous identification.

In this episode, the guys interview fingerprint examiner, multi-book author, and instructor, Hillary Moses Daluz . Hillary discusses her new book "Courtroom Testimony for the Fingerprint Examiner" (CRC Press; 2021). They discuss some of the difficult hot topics that examiners struggle with during testimony and how keep testimony training positive and optimistic.

Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg catch up on a mix bag of topics in the first episode of 2022. Emails on the new conclusion proposal, setups for photography with transmitted light, and the main topic on "qualitative statements". ANAB accreditation requires agencies to include a statistic or a qualitative statement when reporting an association. What does that mean? What qualifies as quantitative? Is this a new thing? Thanks for listening for another year!

In this episode, the guys talk about Thanksgiving: Eric’s amazing food preparation and Glenn’s travel to Canada to teach. Eric also gives a plug for Kasey Wertheim’s fingerprint book library that is up for auction. In the main segment, they discuss two of the new ASB proposed standards out for public comment. Specifically, they examine differences with these documents and those proposed by OSAC, noting the pros and cons between the two versions. They discuss the ASB 013 – “Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Conclusions” and ASB 144 – Best Practice Recommendations for the Verification Component of Friction Ridge Examination. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg discuss the recent paper on Blind Proficiency Testing from the Houston Forensic Science Center: "Latent print quality in blind proficiency testing: Using quality metrics to examine laboratory performance" by Brett O. Gardner, Maddisen Neuman, and Sharon Kelley. The paper describes the results of over two years of blind proficiency testing in the latent print unit. No false positive errors were detected over all samples when the examiners were not aware that they were being tested. The paper also describes the use of LQMetric in measuring the Quality of the sample latent prints. A fantastic paper and a great model for other agencies to imitate.

The long awaited/dreaded return of the “Dad Joke Intro”! In this episode, Todd Weller (firearms expert) returns to the show to talk to Eric and Glenn about the article on inconclusive decisions by Itiel Dror and Nicholas Scurich [(Mis)use of scientific measurements in forensic science; Forensic Science International, 2020; 2:333-338]. Todd gives his views on how the article mischaracterizes the error rate computations and designs of various firearms studies. The guys try to relate it back to their view on the article and fingerprint studies.

Return with Glenn and Eric to the IAI Conference in Nashville, TN. The guys are joined by Josh Connelly, Kurt Aebersold, JP Rodriguez, and Claudine Carter Pereira. New accuracy studies, open field research, and stat talk. And we're already looking forward to next year's conference in Nebraska!

Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray review the 2020 article from Itiel Dror and Nicholas Scurich. "(Mis)use of scientific measurements in forensic science" was published in Forensic Science International: Synergy. The article criticizes published accuracy studies in the latent print and firearms disciplines and suggests an alternative method for handling inconclusive decisions and calculating an error rate for the field. The episode details factual errors in almost every part of the article and suggests the real motivation behind these arguments. But first Eric and Glenn read some emails and catch up on our return to conferences.