AP: Texas group ((Innocence Project) derides scent IDs as junk science

[Heidi]

By JEFF CARLTON (AP) – 4 hours ago

DALLAS — The Innocence Project of Texas said Friday that scent identification lineups, in which trained dogs determine if a suspect's smell matches the smell of crime scene evidence, are based on faulty science and have led to a number of wrongful convictions.

The group, which tries to free the wrongly convicted, said it will release a report next week detailing at least five cases in which innocent people were arrested following scent ID lineups conducted by a Fort Bend sheriff's deputy who trains dogs. Two of the five were jailed for capital murder before the charges against them were dropped.

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Trained dogs are routinely at border checkpoints and airports to smell for drugs, bombs or other contraband. They're used by search and rescue teams and in other police work, such as to chase suspects.

But what Pikett does amounts to "dog whispering," the innocence group said.

"This is exactly the kind of down-home voodoo that jurors like because, hey, everybody likes a dog," said Jeff Blackburn, chief counsel for the Innocence Project of Texas. "Why don't they just have a guy who says he has a unicorn that can figure out who criminals are?"

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[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Interesting story...

Doesn't surprise me at all. They are known for their meticulous, hard-headed scientific investigations.

I used to know a guy whose good friend was freed after this group proved that he had not done the crime.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Say what now?

I don't know what dogs would have to do with convictions.

Probable cause for an arrest, sure. But not convictions.

[MajorChode]

3. Junk science is funny until someone gets killed

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-nw-texas-execute-0824-082aug25,0,5812073.story

[TexasObserver]

4. Here, Lassie! Come on, girl. Who violated Rule 10b-5 of the SEC regs, girl?!

All police dogs have to be "read" by their handler, and the dog can read the handler's reactions.

[Heidi]

5. "Little Timmy fell down the well again, Lassie! Tell us who pushed him!"

:rofl: :spray:

[TexasObserver]

6. FURY was even better than Lassie, cuz Fury was a horse!

In the 1950s, before he was on Mission Impossible, actor Peter Graves was the Uncle or Dad (I forget which) of a kid named JOEY, who had a horse named FURY.

Oh, that Fury! Every week he'd understand thing like "go get Pete, Fury!"