Social Media and Lawmakers: What is Public Record and What Isn’t?

Are social media posts public records? That was the question in a recent legal case that could have far reaching consequences for public records in Virginia. Is that the sound of democracy in the 21st Century? Loudoun software engineer Brian Davison thinks so, and...

Setting the Record Straight on DNA Science

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner operates the largest and most advanced public DNA crime laboratory in North America. We are proud to set the highest standards for independent science and to share our expertise with other jurisdictions in the neutral...

A Judge Wants a Bigger Role for Female Lawyers. So He Made a Rule

It is common for judges to publish guidance for lawyers who appear in their courtrooms on how to conduct themselves with regard to minor matters like how and when to file motions. But on Wednesday, Jack B. Weinstein, a senior federal judge in Brooklyn, used this...

Editorial: County has some decisions to make about its crime lab

OWH The City of Omaha, after discussing a crime lab merger with Douglas County for more than a decade, got tired of waiting. City leaders have now done what they said they would do if Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning an other critics kept standing in the way of a...

U.S. Court curbs power of police to seize cellphones

A U.S. appeals court on Friday limited the ability of police to seize cell phones from homes of people suspected of crimes, ruling the prevelance of mobile devices did not mean police could assume a suspect had one when requesting a search warrant. The U.S. Court of...

How Private is Your Cellphone? The Next Fourth Amendment Challenge

The Crime Report Most people know that very little they do on the web is private. The terabytes of data held online contain personal information accessible not only to friends, relatives and would-be employers, but to private businesses, which frequently collect user...

Fentanyl Called ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’

Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller, is exacerbating heroin’s deadly trap. In cities across the U.S., it is fueling deeper addiction and has become one of the most prominent killers linked to the nation’s drug crisis, reports the Washington Post. View Full...