#87: When Catastrophic Misconduct Happens in a Forensic Science Laboratory (Part 1 of 2)
Release Date: 03/17/2025
#104: What is “Junk Science” and do Bite Marks Fit the Label?
Crime and the Courtroom
In this solo episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins kicks off the podcast’s sixth season with personal updates, professional milestones, and critical reflections on the state of forensic science in the justice system. Collins shares the remarkable success of his recent cochlear implant surgery, which restored significant hearing from deafness caused by a decades-old firearm accident. The procedure has enhanced his ability to engage with clients and audiences, just in time for a busy season of national speaking engagements—including the ASCLD Symposium in Grand Rapids and a...
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#103: Are we standardizing the soul out of forensic science?
Crime and the Courtroom
In this final episode of the 2025 season of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins takes a candid and uncompromising look at a growing challenge within the forensic science community: the accelerating push toward standardization. While standards have long played a vital role in improving consistency and strengthening laboratory management, Collins argues that the pendulum may now be swinging too far. Drawing on decades of experience as a forensic scientist, laboratory director, and professional coach, he examines how overly rigid standardization can unintentionally suppress creativity,...
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#102: An Accident in the Forensic Lab and Lessons Learned
Crime and the Courtroom
In this episode, John tells the full story about his battle with hearing loss, how it started, and what steps are now being taken to give him back his hearing. It is a story involving a serious accident in a forensic laboratory many years ago - sometime around 1995 - and one that provides some important lessons about safety, leadership, and personal accountability in the workplace. Season: 5 Episode: 102 Duration: 47:29 YOUTUBE CHANNELS FROM OUR SPONSOR REFERENCED RESOURCES None ABOUT YOUR HOST John Morrey Collins is a leadership and expertise coach specializing in...
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#101: Command Coaching at the Point of Promotion
Crime and the Courtroom
As we near the end of our 5th season, John Collins first takes a moment to discuss his upcoming surgery and his battle with hearing loss following an accident that occurred in a laboratory where he worked while he was in his early 20s. He then discusses “command coaching,” which is an application of coaching at the initial points of promotion for sworn law enforcement commanders, and how the development of police leaders MUST prioritize high-resolution self-awareness as a key factor in future success. In order to earn the trust and respect of team members, sworn commanders must know who...
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#100: “Wing Violence” and the Murder of Charlie Kirk
Crime and the Courtroom
In the 100th episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins pauses the celebration to examine the shooting death of Charlie Kirk in Utah and what it reveals about public safety, due process, and the health of civic life. Drawing on his experience in the Atlanta Olympic bombing investigation, Collins unpacks how early speculation and “wing violence” narratives can distort reality, feed polarization, and obscure root causes. He introduces the “event horizon” metaphor—the point where isolation, echo chambers, and performative media pull vulnerable people past reason—and argues...
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#99: How Much Control Should Judges Have Over the Testimony of Expert Witnesses?
Crime and the Courtroom
Judges hold tremendous power in the American criminal justice system, and possibly more power than we realize. In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, John Collins shares his thoughts about a trend being encountered by expert witnesses whose testimony is being limited or controlled by judges. In some cases, the identification of latent prints or firearms is being rejected, and judges are instead instructing expert witnesses on what they can or cannot say. Is this even permissible? John also discusses what he describes as “the nuclear option,” a tactic that judges could adopt, if they...
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#98: The ISHI Forensic Leadership Alliance: Looking Ahead to the 2025 Symposium
Crime and the Courtroom
In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins is joined by colleagues Dr. Pamela Marshall, Julie Sikorsky, and Dr. Ray Wickenheiser to discuss their ongoing collaboration, the Forensic Leadership Alliance. The group reflects on their shared work since 2020 in providing leadership development opportunities for forensic scientists, with a focus on coaching, mentorship, and team empowerment. The conversation covers key leadership challenges facing forensic laboratories, including funding instability, cultural dynamics, and professional development. The episode also includes...
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#97: Police Culture, Federal Funds, and Forensic Science Laboratories
Crime and the Courtroom
John Collins examines the growing challenges facing U.S. forensic science laboratories as federal funding programs come under political pressure in Washington. Drawing on decades of experience as a former laboratory administrator and current leadership coach, Collins explores how dependence on federal grants has affected laboratory budgets, priorities, and culture—particularly in agencies where labs are managed by police commanders. He outlines the risks of “supplanting,” the importance of independent budget planning, and offers five practical recommendations for law enforcement leaders...
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#96: Cyber Hell? A Conversation with Tom Arnold
Crime and the Courtroom
In this episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins speaks with Tom Arnold, a leading expert in digital evidence and cyber crime investigation. Mr. Arnold has led major breach investigations involving thousands of servers and has advised agencies including the U.S. Secret Service. He currently teaches at San Jose State University and the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he helps develop academic programs in digital forensics and cybersecurity. In addition to his technical work, Tom recently authored The Digital Detective: First Intervention, a novel designed to teach...
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#95: The Wrongful Conviction of Forensic Science and the Attack on Firearm Identification
Crime and the Courtroom
In this episode, John Collins provides a thought-provoking and direct follow-up to episode #94, which covered the Oregon appellate court ruling in State v. Adams. In Adams, the court rejected the science of firearm identification and reversed the conviction. John explains the recent historical forces that have made forensic science a target of criminal justice reform activists, while providing encouragement to forensic practitioners in maintaining their professionalism and credibility as expert witnesses. He also calls out what he describes as “courtroom science activists” who’ve made it...
info_outlineJohn Collins answers an email from an audience member who wonders: What’s the point of accreditation if a catastrophic failure or major act of misconduct can still happen under the radar.
Season: 5
Episode: 87
Duration: 35:57
YOUTUBE CHANNELS
Main Podcast Channel
Highlights Channel
FROM OUR SPONSOR
Learn About the Innovators at Promega
International Symposium on Human Identification
REFERENCED RESOURCES
CBS News News Report on Yvonne Woods
Book: HR Management in the Forensic Science Laboratory
Article: The Wrongful Conviction of Forensic Science
ABOUT YOUR HOST
John Morrey Collins is a leadership and expertise coach specializing in working with clients in authoritative, high-stakes occupations, but with a primary emphasis on serving leaders, professionals, and organizations that support our complicated systems of criminal and civil justice. John started his private practice, Critical Victories, in 2013 after retiring his award-winning, 20-year career as a forensic laboratory scientist and executive administrator, having served as the Director of Forensic Science for the State of Michigan. His forensic technical expertise was in the examination and testing of firearms and firearm-related evidence, having provided expert courtroom testimony in approximately 130 criminal trials, including death penalty cases and Daubert hearings. John is also the author of three books on forensic science and criminal justice reform. In 2022, he released his fourth book, “The New Superior – A Better Way to Be the One in Charge,” which is available in print and audio. John’s many career highlights include his part in the forensic investigation of the Atlanta serial bombings, which included the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, as well as his 2013 participation in a historic meeting with the US Attorney General and other firearm experts to discuss the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. John has a master’s degree in organizational management and is formally certified as a Senior HR Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In 2012, John was trained as a professional coach by the College of Executive Coaching, and he became certified as a Gallup Strengths Coach in 2022. He lives and works near Detroit, Michigan.
For more books and other information, please visit www.criticalvictories.com.