Senate panel needs clarity from forensics chairman
November 11, 2009
Today's hearing of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee needs to produce clarity in the Cameron Todd Willingham inquiry.
Members have a roadmap from the new chairman of Texas Forensic Science Commission, who indicated last week where he intends to steer his agency and how he intends to handle the explosive Willingham matter.
Written by Editorial , The Dallas Morning News
Today's hearing of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee needs to produce clarity in the Cameron Todd Willingham inquiry. Members have a roadmap from the new chairman of Texas Forensic Science Commission, who indicated last week where he intends to steer his agency and how he intends to handle the explosive Willingham matter. The good news is that John Bradley, appointed to the job in September by Gov. Rick Perry, flatly promises to complete the review of the arson-murder investigation that led to Willingham's execution in 2004. Anything less would be unacceptable, since many Texans are concerned about whether slipshod forensic work contributed to the execution of an innocent man. What's less clear is Bradley's sense of urgency and openness, and it's these areas that demand the committee's close inspection. In a lengthy commentary submitted to newspapers over the weekend, Bradley, also Williamson County's district attorney, said producing a solid report on the Willingham forensics "takes time" and requires "careful deliberation." Further, he said the fledgling forensic panel launched the Willingham inquiry – its first – without benefit of written policies and procedures. Because of the political backdrop of Bradley's appointment, committee members must make sure his intentions don't even remotely resemble a stall tactic. Perry seemed to be in defensive mode in September when he bounced Bradley's predecessor from the job. The forensics panel was about to review a paid consultant's scathing critique of the original Willingham arson investigators, and critics demanded to know whether the governor had presided over an innocent man's execution. Perry's replacement of the commission chairman looked like the politically motivated dodge of a candidate for re-election. Perry has a lot to lose with the outcome of the Willingham inquiry. He would eliminate the threat if the outcome didn't happen until, oh ... 2011. For his part, Bradley pledged to approach his job "without political favor," as the Austin American-Statesman quoted him on Sunday. The Senate panel needs to know more. Members, in fact, should pin him down on a timeline for shaping up commission procedures and reaching conclusions on the science behind the Willingham case. The public also deserves clarity on what Bradley meant in bemoaning the fact that forensic commission reports and materials are not required to be kept confidential. He said even the "sensitive process of receiving a complaint" ought to have the "protections" of confidentiality. On the contrary, if someone has a beef with the way cops, prosecutors and courts do their business, we can think of no justification to keep it hush-hush. Bradley will have a difficult time making his case for this kind of secrecy.
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