Statement of Larry S. Pozner, President National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers On FBI Laboratory Accreditation
Washington, DC, September 22, 1998 -- In response to today's announcement that the FBI Lab has been accredited by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors -- Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD-LAB), NACDL President Larry Pozner issued the following statement:
"Accreditation is a positive and necessary step for any crime lab -- and for the FBI Lab in particular, one that is long overdue. Accreditation helps ensure quality control, quality assurance, and public confidence in overall performance, something the FBI Lab has lost in recent years. Our citizens deserve a national model for forensic excellence, but we're still a long way from that goal. To restore its credibility, the Lab's number one priority must be to rid itself of the prosecutorial bias identified in the I.G.'s report from the Department of Justice. Only then will the Lab regain the respect of all Americans for objectivity and good science. Anything short of that is mere window dressing."
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NACDL is the preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's almost 10,000 direct members -- and 80 state and local affiliate organizations with another 28,000 members -- include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness within America's criminal justice system.
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)