Detroit police lab closed: audit found serious errors in many cases

Detroit officials are to be commended for not trying to cover up problems in its justice system.  My family would have preferred if our own justice struggle had been met with such open disclosure.  (See http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com/ ) 

An audit revealed major problems in Detroit's crime lab, and rather than try to hide this, officials there are taking positive steps.  See the excerpt from the news article below:

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International Herald Tribune

Sept. 26, 2008

DETROIT:  The Police Department here shut down its crime laboratory on Thursday after an audit uncovered serious errors in numerous cases. The audit said sloppy work had probably resulted in wrongful convictions, and officials expect a wave of appeals in cases that the laboratory processed. . . . .  "We do not want any of our activities to result in someone being imprisoned that doesn't belong there," the Wayne County prosecutor, Kym Worthy, said at a news conference with Cockrel and Barren. Worthy said the mistakes also might have let violent criminals remain at large."

Article link:  http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/26/america/26detroit.php

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Detroit's officials are committed to seeing that innocent people are not suffering unjust incarceration.  This is commendable!  Apparently, Detroit has made a good mayoral choice recently, and Ms. Worthy shows herself to be more honorable by caring that innocent people may be unjustly imprisoned  due to crime lab errors.  This honesty in public officials is refreshing, considering that many prosecutors across America actually fight against testing DNA evidence in death penalty matters, choosing to risk executing innocent people rather than admit wrongful prosecution.  Congratulations, Detroit!

I wish everyone in law enforcement and government were as forthcoming with information about errors as these people seem to be.  Read about my family's continuous justice quest following the secret arrest and wrongful death of my mentally ill brother in Shelby County/ Memphis, TN Jail in IndyMedia.com.  Unfortunately, rather than attempting to solve this gross injustice, the forces that be are apparently more interested in censorship and intimidation against the deceased's family. 

http://publish.indymedia.org/en/2008/09/913787.shtml


In fact, I'm not even the administrator of my own computer any longer.  I am not able to close the microphone on it, and my browser is not allowed to open certain sites.  I have replaced the hard drive in this computer just one month ago, and have a total of five computers, bought after each one was sent various spyware and viruses.  I cannot run Microsoft virus scan and spyware removal, because a person has to be their own administrator in order to do that.  The virus and spyware I purchase from computer stores gets zapped in a hurry.  Maybe my trolls own the satellites.

Sometimes, people in positions of power take things too far in lying, sneaking, and intimidating citizens.  It would be far better if all authorities were more like the leadership in Detroit, who stepped up and admitted an error and are taking steps to correct it, not hide their failures through censorship and intimidation.

Mary Neal
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com