How to (Really) Fix a Drug Scandal: San Francisco’s District Attorney Sets a Strong Example
By Nina Morrison and Sarah Chu
(Image: Drew Hays/Unsplash)
Last month, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin publicly posted a list of cases potentially affected by misconduct recently discovered at the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). His office’s decision to fully assess the misconduct and commit to transparency stands in stark contrast to the ways in which public officials have handled past forensic negligence and misconduct elsewhere in the country.
Weeks before, Mr. Boudin’s office learned that a forensic laboratory technician at the OCME had been charged with stealing drug evidence related to cases with the intent to sell. The technician worked in the OCME’s office for 13 years and is thought to have been involved in “more than 2,500 law enforcement investigations, including 500 death investigations, 1,200 sexual-assault investigations, and