SARATOGA COUNTY — Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III has been appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as a Member of the Commission on Forensic Science.
The 14-member Commission is empowered to develop minimum standards and a program of accreditation for all forensic laboratories in New York State. Accreditation of a forensic DNA laboratory is granted through the seven-member DNA Subcommittee, which also advises the Commission on any matter related to the implementation of scientific controls and quality assurance procedures for the performance of forensic DNA analysis.
In a release discussing the appointment, Murphy said “I am honored to have been appointed to the Commission to ensure that we maintain the best practices for all the forensic science labs in New York State. Only by having state of the art labs, vigilant testing and retesting, and disciplined protocols can we ensure that evidence is properly examined and useful in criminal cases.”
Murphy joins fellow members:
Chair: Michael C. Green, Executive Deputy Commissioner
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
Kathleen Corrado, Ph.D., Director
Onondaga County Forensic Science Laboratories
New York State Police
Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico
Albany, New York
District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick
Onondaga County
Brian J. Gestring, Director
DCJS Office of Forensic Services
Albany, New York
Richard Jenny, Ph.D.
New York State Department of Health
Albany, New York
District Attorney James Murphy
Saratoga County
Peter J. Neufeld, Esq.
New York City
Marvin E. Schechter, Esq.
New York City
Barry E. Scheck, Esq.
New York City
Marina J. Staji, Ph.D., Director of Toxicology Laboratory
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
New York City
Ann M. Willey, Ph.D.
Chatham, New York
Ex-officio:
Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH
New York State Department of Health