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Shoddy Fingerprint Analysis Inks Bad Impression on LAPD
Oops! The LA Times got their hands on an LAPD confidential report that admits people were wrongly charged with crimes because fingerprint specialists apparently didn't have those specialized skills. Rhonda Sims-Lewis, chief of the LAPD's administrative and technical bureau and others "described a poorly run operation, in which records and evidence were left lying around or misplaced, and supervisors 'were stuck in the old way of doing things.' Pressed to explain the sloppy work of the unit, Yvette Sanchez-Owens, commanding officer of the Scientific Investigation Division, speculated that 'people were reviewing the work of friends and just rubber stamping it without really reviewing it.'" One analyst was fired and another three were suspended.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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