Latest news with #HouseBill25-1275
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Bill to address wrongful misconduct by crime lab workers heads to Colorado governor's desk
Colorado senators approved a bill to help address the backlog in DNA tests collected by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. It's now headed to Gov. Jared Polis's desk. CBS The bill addresses gaps following a scandal at the CBI involving DNA analyst Yvonne "Missy" Woods. Woods, a former CBI forensic scientist, was charged with manipulating and mishandling data in the DNA testing process of more than 800 criminal cases as far back as 2014. As CBS News Colorado's Shaun Boyd has reported, this has contributed to the 588-day delay in results from sexual assault kits. Yvonne "Missy" Woods Jefferson County Sheriff's Office House Bill 25-1275 is sponsored by State Rep. Matt Soper of Delta and Mesa Counties, State Rep. Yara Zokaie of Larimer County, State Sen. Mike Weissman representing Adams and Arapahoe Counties, and State Sen. Lisa Frizell of Douglas County. "Recent events have demonstrated gaps in our laws when it comes to addressing allegations of investigatory misconduct that call criminal proceedings into question," Weissman said. The bill would "require an employee to report witnessed or discovered knowing misconduct or a significant event ... to the director of the crime laboratory ... or to the employee's immediate supervisor, who shall report it to the director."
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado bill would create duty to report misconduct at state crime lab
Sen. Lisa Frizell (left), Rep. Matt Soper (middle) and Rep. Yara Zokaie (right) speak about a bill to establish a procedure for misconduct reporting at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 20, 2025 at the Colorado Capitol. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Colorado lawmakers are running a bipartisan bill to set expectations for reporting misconduct in the state's crime laboratories, an effort that comes in the wake of revelations that a former forensic scientist allegedly mishandled thousands of DNA tests over her career. 'We are here because of due process and fairness — the idea that if a (Colorado Bureau of Investigations) employee sees data malfeasance going on, they have a duty to report and disclose, so that district attorneys can make a decision whether or not to act and whether it would impact their cases,' said Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican sponsoring the bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He is running the bill alongside Rep. Yara Zokaie, a Fort Collins Democrat, Sen. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican and Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat. Former CBI scientist Yvonne 'Missy' Woods was charged with 102 felonies in January over allegations that she manipulated DNA test results during her career. Prosecutors worry that over 1,000 cases could have been affected by dubious evidence she processed. 'We never want to see something like this happen again,' Soper said. 'We want to address some of the issues that have occurred here so that we have integrity back in our state lab.' House Bill 25-1275 would require crime lab employees to report a wrongful action they witness to their supervisor within two weeks. That is defined in the bill as an act from an employee that is a 'gross deviation from the standard operation procedures.' The supervisor would then need to investigate the claim. The CBI director would need to tell district attorneys about the alleged wrong action in affected cases, and attorneys would need to notify defendants — and in some cases victims — if there was lab misconduct in their case. 'Right now, there are defendants serving time who have no idea that the evidence used to convict them was handled by a crime lab employee implicated in misconduct. There are victims who don't know that the forensic evidence in their case may have been compromised,' Zokaie said. The bill would also give defendants the ability to return to court if their conviction substantially relied on evidence subject to misconduct. The intent is that it would apply to cases affected by the Woods scandal. 'All Coloradans have an interest in determining whether Missy Woods' misconduct caused wrongful convictions,' said Jud Lohnes, a staff attorney with the Korey Wise Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School. 'The importance of forensic testing cannot be overstated. A single DNA result can affect an entire criminal case.' Sponsors hope to fast-track the bill. It was introduced Wednesday and assigned to the House Judiciary Committee but has not been scheduled for a hearing date. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
