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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1997)
'. 4j" The Battalion 9 I? 13 11 T I? 17 f jf < I. Vi Sj 1a 1 ih £ I ^ i \j Page! Wednesday • April 16, ReportrFBI crime lab work, management flawed Attorney General Janet Reno says lab still capable of performing its mission despite some problem WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI crime lab agents produced flawed scientif ic work or inaccurate testimony in major cases such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the Justice Depart ment inspector general said Tuesday. He recommended discipline for five agents and transfer of the original whisde-blower. But Inspector General Michael Bromwich concluded in his report that agents of the world-renowned crime lab did not commit perjury or fabricate evidence. Attorney General Janet Reno said the damaging findings al ready have been raised by defense attorneys in 13 court cases and “there has been no change in the outcome of the case.” Hundreds of prosecutions that used lab evi dence remain under review. Despite “significant instances of testimonial errors, substandard an alytical work and deficient prac tices,” the lab is still “capable of per forming its mission,” Reno said. Bromwich also criticized lab management and the qualifications of agents in its explosives unit, where he recommended that only scientists be employed. He emphatically en dorsed the FBI’s current effort to get ► This day in history Today is Wednesday, April 16, the 106th day of 1997. There are.259 days left in the year. On this date: In 1789, President-elect Washington left Mount Ver non, Va., for his inauguration in New York. In 1862, a bill ending slavery in the District of Co lumbia became law. In 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. In 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin returned to Russia af ter years of exile. In 1935, the radio comedy program Fibber McGee and Molly premiered on the NBC Blue Network. In 1947, America’s worst harbor explosion occurred in Texas City, Texas, when the French ship Grandcamp, carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer, caught fire and blew up, devastating the town. Another ship, the High flyer, exploded the following day. The explosions and re- the lab accredited by outside experts for the first time. In a typical criticism of work on high-profile cases, Bromwich blasted lab supervisor David Williams’ 1993 testimony that a 1,200-pound urea nitrate bomb damaged New York’s World Trade Center. FBI chemists found no explosive residues at the site. Williams’ testimony was “inaccurate and in complete” and ap peared to be “tailored to the most incriminating result,” Bromwich said. The FBI accepted nearly all of Bromwich’s recom mendations. To avoid any conflict, the Jus tice Department, not the FBI, will rule on Bromwich’s proposals to punish agents and transfer the chief whis tle-blower, scientist-agent Freder ic Whitehurst. “There was a clear and serious failing in not adequately detecting these problems and, in many in stances, not moving swiftly enough to resolve them,” FBI Deputy Director Bill Esposito said. “The improvements ... must and are being made.” FBI Director Louis Freeh is look ing for an expert outside the FBI to head the lab and the bureau will hire more scientists, Esposito added. Bromwich said Whitehurst, who triggered the investigation, should be trans ferred because his “overstated and incendiary” allegations have poisoned his re lations with oth er lab workers. "The prob lems and defi ciencies that Whitehurst brought to our at tention are ex tremely serious,” Bromwich said, “but they are a far cry from the rampant and inten tional wrongdoing alleged by Dr. Whitehurst: ... perjury, fabricated evidence, obstructed justice and suppressed exculpatory evidence.” Bromwich said those deciding Whitehurst’s future “must weigh the significant contributions he has made” and avoid discouraging oth- “This report serves as a wake-up call to Congress and the public...” Frederick Whitehurst FBI scientist-agent suiting fires killed more than 500 people and left 200 others missing. In 1962, Walter Cronkite succeeded Douglas Ed wards as anchorman of The CBS Evening News. In 1972, 25 years ago, Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon. ► Today's birthdays Actor-comedian Spike Milligan is 79. Actor Barry Nelson is 77. Actor-director-author Peter Ustinov is 76. Actress- singer Edie Adams is 68. Singer Bobby Vinton is 62. Singer Dusty Springfield is 58. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is 57. Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 50. Singer Gerry Rafferty is 50. Actress Ellen Barkin is 43. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 34. Rock singer David Rimer (Soul Asylum) is 33. Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence is 32. Ac tor Jon Cryer is 32. Actor Lukas Haas is 21. ers from reporting misconduct. Whitehurst predicted, “Ulti mately, they will put me back into the laboratory.” “This is a beautiful day,” White hurst said in an interview. “That re port essentially validates all the ma jor concerns I had. It’s the beginning of the correction process” and out side oversight of the FBI. Bromwich said that since 1989 FBI managers had repeatedly bun gled efforts to root out problems in the lab identified by Whitehurst and others. He criticized four retired FBI lab executives for this. “This report serves as a wake- up call to Congress and the public to rein in the FBI errant leader ship,” said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of a Senate sub committee that oversees the FBI. “The FBI chose to improve its im age rather than ... the product.” In the Oklahoma bombing, Bromwich said explosives unit su pervisor Williams decided a 4,000- pound ammonium nitrate-fuel oil bomb was used based on the de fendants’ alleged purchases rather than on scientific evidence. Bromwich said Williams should be transferred from the lab because ► Weather he “repeatedly reached conclusions that incriminated the defendants without a scientific basis.” Federal prosecutors have re moved Williams from their list of expert witnesses at the trial ofTim- othy McVeigh for the Oklahoma bombing. They say another FBI expert can present the explosives evidence, but defense attorney Stephen Jones had indicated he will attack the lab’s work. The report found that explosives unit chief J. Thomas Thurman did not properly review Williams’ work and said Williams and Thurman “merit special censure” for their Ok lahoma work. Bromwich recommended Thur man, whose college degree is in po litical science, be transferred from the lab. Other proposed punishment: —Demotion and possible transfer for chemistry-toxicology unit chief Roger Martz, who “lacks the judgment and credibility” to supervise. Martz testified to an “opinion stronger than his analytical results would support” in a Florida trial that resulted in a death sentence for George Trepal for putting poison in Coca-Cola bottles and did a “seriously deficient” review of errors by lab examiner 1; Rudolph, the report said. —Unspecified discipline FBI agent Michael Malone,wb no longer in the lab, fortestife falsely in proceedings thatic mately removed Alcee Hastis from a federal judgeship. —Transfer from the lab foree iner Wallace Higgins for allec Whitehurst’s reports. Correction In a Page 1 story in yesterda Battalion about minority reci. ment, a quote from Diane Kapla chair of the minority conditi subcommittee, should have re as follows: "Today we are bring! forth for Senate approval of recommendations we feel most important for recruiting retaining minority faculty onci pus and for doing the best job can in recruiting a diverse stud? body, now that living undei Hopwood decision seems fobs reality, at least for the immedi® foreseeable future." Today Tonight Tomorrow Partly cloudy. Partly cloudy. Partly cloudy. Highs & Lows Today’s ExpectedHi^ate 74°F Tonight’s Expectedlx qo 41°F Tomorrow’s Exped [irtir High 75°F Tomorrow Nights Expected Low 50°F Information courtesy 1 W understand that making a fine jewel ry purchase can sometimes be over whelming, so it is important to select your jeweler wisely. As an Independent Jeweler, quality, se lection, and service is the foundation of our business. Whether you prefer tradi tional or contemporary styling, we offer a fantastic selection of quality jewelry. And most importantly, we guarantee your complete satisfaction to day, tomorrow and in the years to come. We invite you to come i?i to see our new “Collections” featuring the latest jewelry fashions, perfect for gift ideas or perhaps a special treat for yourself. -41 DOUGLAS JEWELERS Ui(i7 B. South Texas Ave. Culpepper Plaza College Station, i X 77840 Ronnie and Sandy Arrington Class of‘75 Phone: (409) (>93-0677 We look forward to seeing you. 0^ It'D Love music? Come to the Browsing Library Record Sale!! Hundreds to choose from ~ You name the style of music, and we've got it! Great for DJ's, collectors, and everyone] The Browsing Library... The MSC's best kept secret (located in the hallway linking the MSC and Rudder Tower) Andersen Consulting CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN: ►Argentina •Brazil •Mexico •Venezuela Andersen Consulting announces exciting opportunities for ANALYSTS and CONSULTANTS in our TECHNOLOGY services group. Positions are available to highly motivated candidates on F-l student visas who have legal work authorization in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico or Venezuela; and plan to return home upon graduation. Degree requirements include: BUSINESS (MBAs), COMPUTER SCIENCE, COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS, ENGINEERING (electrical, industrial, mechanical and systems). Skills/experience requirements in the following: Enterprise application suites; network and database technologies; object-oriented programming; computer hardware; and client-side operating systems. To be considered for one of these positions, please submit your resume no later than April 30 to: Maggie M. Chan International Recruiting Andersen Worldwide 1666 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Fax Number: (202) 785-4689 E-mail address: international.recruiting@awo.com http ^Avww. ac.com MSC COMMITTEE FOR THE AWARENESS OF MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE f O OP 0 COME JOIN US ATTHE SPRING '97 CINCO DE MAYO FAJITA COOKOUT . q\\ 0 ^FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1997 As u 5-7 PM (SERVING TIME) HENSEL PARK - AREA 2 $5 STUPENTS/$6 NON-STUDENTS $3 CHILDREN UNDER TO Me * TICKETS WILL BE SOLD @ THE SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MITO ESPINOZA @ THE STUDENT . PROGRAMS OFFICE @ 845-1515 Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities. The Class of 1997 joins Dr. Southerland » to wish the Class of 1997 the best of luck! Come to the Ice Cream Social at Dr. Southerlands Residence on Friday, April 25 from 4pm - 6pm Tickets required, may be picked up from the MSC Box Office at 845-1234 The Battalion Rachel Barry, Editor in Chief Tiffany Moore, Managing Editor Kristina Buffin, Sports Editor Wesley Poston, City Editor Stew Milne, Visual Arts Editor Alex Walters, Opinion Editor John LeBas, Aggielife Editor Chris Stevens, Web Editor Jody Holley, Night News Editor Tim Moog, Photo Editor Helen Clancy, Night News Editor Brad Graeber, Cartoon Editor Staff Members City Desk - Assistant Editor: Melissa Nunnery; Reporters: Rebecca Torrellas, Brandon Hausenfluck, Laura Oliveira,Eito Roy, Graham Harvey, Jackie Vratil, Benjamin Cheng, Shikonya CuretonJoeySchlueter, Kathleen Strickland,Maiissa Alanis & Shea Wiggins Aggielife Desk - Assistant Editor: April Towery; Feature Writers: Aaron Meier, Shea Wiggins, Michael Schaub, Dapline Phillips, Brandon Truitt, Missy Price, & Karen Janes; Page Designers: Artie Alvarado & Daphne Phillips Sports Desk - Assistant Editor: Paul Mitchell; Writers: Jamie Burch, Jeremy Furtick, Matt Mitchell, Courtney Lyons, Den^ Ramirez, Chris Ferrell, Lara Zuehlke & Nicole Smith; Page Designer: Eric Proctor Opinion Desk - Assistant Editor: James Francis; Columnists: Jon Apgar, David Boldt, Mason Jackson, Stephen Llano,Jos^ Hill, Donny Ferguson, Kate Shropshire, Dave Johnston, Glenn Janik, General Franklin, Robby Ray, Courtney PilipSi John Lemmons, Brandon Hausenfluck, Travis Chow & Jeremy Valdez Night News - Page Designers: Jennifer Bishop, Angie Rodgers, Joshua Miller, Lisa Wells & Michele Chancellor Copy Editors - Elisa Douglass, Missy Davila, Shea Wiggins, Gina Panzica & Matt Weber Visual Arts Desk - Assistant Photo Editor: Dave House; Photographers: Rony Angkriwan, Patrick James, Derek Demeit, Robert McKay, Ryan Rogers & Amy Dunlap; Graphic Artists: Jennifer Maki, James Palmer & James Vineyard; Cab**- ists: Michael Depot, Chad Mallam, David Hoffman, John Lemons, Ed Goodwin & Quatro Oakley Webmasters - Dusty Moer, Sara Candy, David Friesenhahn & Daniel Holwerda News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Division of Student Pul* cations, a unit of the Department of Journalism. 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