Dog Scent Lineups and Their Accuracy

CNN covers the story of a former police officer initially questioned and suspected in the murder of his friend and neighbor; another man was eventually arrested and charged. The former officer, Michael Buchanek, says dog-scent evidence was the factor that weighed heaviest in the minds of his former colleagues and chief accusers. The use of dogs to track and sniff out suspects and related evidence has been controversial for some time. Defenders say such dogs, well trained, are reliable. Those who don't trust such evidence say dog handlers who know in advance what suspect is being sought can guide the dogs toward a particular individual. Read more about the issue here, here, here, here (from the ForensicEvidence.com site), and here, the report that people are talking about, the Innocence Project's analysis of dog-scent evidence, its uses and reliability.