Jun 30 2009
Dog Sniff Scent Lineups Called into Question in Texas
After a Texas man was implicated in a sexual assault largely on the basis of a dog sniff scent lineup and later cleared of that crime with DNA evidence, questions began to arise about the accuracy of canine developed evidence in criminal cases. The dogs’ handler, Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Pikett, has utilized his dogs in hundreds of cases, but the question remains…. just how accurate are scent lineups? A recent article by Kevin Johnson in USA Today proclaims that “Scent Lineups Stink to Critics.” That article specifically addresses lawsuits recently filed in Texas in response to wrongful incarcerations resulting from erroneous scent lineups. It acknowledges…
Two federal lawsuits are casting a harsh spotlight on an investigative tool long beloved by American law enforcement: a bloodhound’s nose.Lawsuits filed in Victoria, Texas, allege that Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Pikett and his team of hounds — James Bond, Quincy and Clue — failed controversial sniff tests known as “scent lineups.”
Much like in traditional lineups, the dogs link human scents left at crime scenes to samples from suspects.
In each case, the suits allege, Pikett’s dogs called attention to the wrong person. Both former suspects have been cleared.
The article goes on to address criticisms of scent lineups and the fact that the problem with these lineups is not simply confined to Texas:
Defense lawyers say the technique smacks of forensic voodoo and casts further suspicion on the broader use of scent dog evidence.
“It’s a fraud on so many levels,” says Jeffrey Weiner, former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Since 2004, two men in Florida and one in California have been freed after DNA evidence exonerated them.