In our last post, we began a discussion about the problems of forensic fire investigation. It is one of numerous types of forensic testing that is far less reliable (or scientifically sound) than the general public tends to believe. Problems with burn-pattern analysis...
Procedural dramas like “CSI” have convinced Americans that forensic science is equivalent to pure, unassailable fact. After all, tests and evidence don’t lie, even if people do. But sadly, this belief in the infallibility of forensic science is misplaced and made all...
If you drive about 18 miles southwest of Chicago, you will arrive in the Village of Homer Glen. A pair of men were recently arrested there after a two-year investigation on charges of identity theft, fraud and forgery-related crimes, the Will County Sheriff's Office...
The pandemic has had a negative effect on the lives of the vast majority of people. One of the few exceptions is former Chicago narcotics officer Glenn Lewellen, who was convicted of kidnapping and robbing drug dealers.Lewellen was recently released from federal...
A decade ago, many believed that sexual assault allegations were too often given scant attention by colleges and that accusers were routinely discouraged from reporting attacks. The Obama administration tried to correct that approach, but many believed it...
Chicago sports fans are very familiar with the phrase “what might have been.” They sometimes wistfully wonder what might have been if key injuries or pivotal plays had never taken place. (Most famous example: Steve Bartman.)Former New Jersey Governor Chris...
It goes without saying that across U.S. history, African Americans have not been treated fairly or equally. The inequality is less overt today, but it still exists, as the results of a recent American Civil Liberties Union study make clear.The ACLU study looked at...
Make no mistake that even during a global pandemic federal agents and law enforcement will actively investigate and prosecute crimes. According to the latest press release from the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago, the Chief of the Financial Crimes Section of the...
According to legend, both mariachi music and tequila originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco. According to the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration, the recent arrests of more than 600 people nationwide on drug trafficking charges has...
Four former bank employees accused of trying to illegally manipulate precious metals futures contracts say the criminal charges against them should be dismissed. The men filed their motion in Chicago’s U.S. District Court for the Northern District of...
