Recently the American Chemical Society (ACS) held a five day intensive course on Gas Chromatography (GC). Gas Chromatography is used for DUI blood testing right here in Pennsylvania and around the country. Any DUI lawyer worth his/her salt should be well versed in how Gas Chromatography works and how it can yield erroneously high blood…
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Congressional Bill calls for alcohol detectors in vehicles
The Government wants to install alcohol detectors in cars, but is that a good idea? Schumer calls for alcohol detectors in vehicles WASHINGTON — Sen. Charles E. Schumer said Thursday he’ll push for legislation to boost alcohol-detection technology in cars, which he said could greatly reduce drunk driving — especially for repeat offenders. Basically the…
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Faulty Machines Lead to 400 DUI Convictions in D.C.
Just because someone blows a high number, doesn’t mean they are guilty of DUI. These breath machines are quirky and if not calibrated properly (a very common problem) they can yield artificially high measurements. They are not specific or selective for exclusively drinking alcohol or ETOH. Look what happened in our nation’s capital: 400 drunken-driving…
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Government-Funded Study Calls for Overhaul of Nation’s Crime Labs
Here is an article about the famous National Academy of Sciences study. I thought I should post it as a follow up to my post about the crime labs in San Francisco. Government-Funded Study Calls for Overhaul of Nation’s Crime Labs Forensic science has helped send thousands of suspected murderers, rapists and other alleged criminals…
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They Don’t Do Background Checks?!
Pretty much every large employer does background checks, right? Maybe not on low level staff but definitely on supervisors, especially those whose jobs effect the lives and liberty of thousands of people, right? You would only hope so. Another scandal has rocked crime labs in San Francisco and is directly related to DUI convictions there: Problems…
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DUI Mailbag: What Does Invalid Sample and Invalid Test Mean?
Every Friday we will take a look at some of the most commonly asked questions about Pennsylvania DUI so that we can clear up any misconceptions and provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information. Today: I was recently arrested for a DUI and taken to the station for testing. The machine was an…
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Self-Regulating Butchers and Police Officers
Pennsylvania residents don’t trust self-regulating butchers, so why do they trust self-regulating police officers and technicians? I came across an article about self-regulation that I would like to share: Pennsylvania mulls handing weights and measures inspection to private sector When consumers get a bad meal, they know it. But getting shortchanged on a few ounces of…
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How Reliable are Those DUI Labs?
Another article that highlights the problem with police forensic labs (the same labs that conduct DUI chemical tests): More SF cases may be dropped in crime lab scandal Sun Mar 28, 8:44 pm ET SAN FRANCISCO – Prosecutors are considering dropping an additional 1,400 cases this week because of a scandal at the police crime lab,…
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Attorney McShane to speak at the American Chemical Society Fall National Meeting
Attorney McShane is a member in good standing of not only many legal associations and bar associations, but also scientific organizations as well including: Member, American Chemical Society (ACS)-Analytical Chemistry Division, Chemical Toxicology Division, and Chemistry & the Law Divisions Member, Central PA Local Section of the American Chemical Society Member, American College of Forensic…
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DUI Blood Testing Review
I have blogged a lot on Blood Testing for DUI and specifically Gas Chromatography for alcohol (ETOH) or drugs of abuse testing used in DUI prosecutions. Some people ask: Justin, your posts are so hyper-technical, why do you post such detailed stuff? When you are facing a Pennsylvania DUI, possible consequences include jail time,…
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