Inspector General Glenn Cunha will take over the investigation of the operations of the Jamaica Plain drug lab where former state chemist Annie Dookhan allegedly tainted evidence in thousands of cases, Governor Deval Patrick said Monday.
In a statement, Patrick said Cunha will take over the sweeping inquiry into the closed Department of Public Health lab where Dookhan worked from 2003 to 2012, replacing Attorney General Martha Coakley, who will continue to pursue the criminal investigation into Dookhan.
Comments
I thought that an independent investigation was what the Mass Bar Association was seeking. The Inspector General is appointed by the Governor, State Auditor and Attorney General, who have a stake in these findings. Also, the mandate of the Inspector General is to "prevent fraud, waste, and abuse before they happen". It also seems to have expertise in the area of procurement, not the inner workings of a crime lab. While Cunha supposedly will be bringing in forensic experts to "determine whether potential failures at the drug lab impact cases beyond those handled directly by Dookhan", he'll be the one to take the findings and issue his report, which could be compromised by those who put him in office. I don't see how the public's confidence can be restored without a true independent investigation by an investigator who understands how crime labs should be run and who has no connection to public officials.