So, while the Director of the National Forensic Science Service was perfectly willing to talk to us today, he told us that his subordinates very much prefer being unsung heroes in successful prosecutions. He says that the more well-known these become, the greater the risks are to their personal safety. That's because they can be targets of the very criminals that they are trying to bring to justice. Here's how he explained why:
Gian Cho - Executive Director, National Forensic Science Service
"Our staff, our experts that process scenes, conduct post-mortems, analyze exhibits, who go and testify in court, and have to act as an expert witness on behalf of the state, we have had a unique level of exposure to the criminal elements - you rightly pointed out - to be able to take stand, to have the training to take the stand, and testify on the results that you produce. That's why we try to work closely with the police department, to ensure that they are systems and safeguards in place, that our officers are not exposed. And we also ask for the support of media, such as yourselves, when you do those court reports, or when you have to report on certain things in the news, there's no need for you to use the names or faces of the forensic experts. So, we just ask that support, that cooperation from media, and our partner agencies as well."
The National Forensic Science Service had to warn certain media houses not to name their forensic experts in their news coverage of the Mason Trial.
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