Yesterday the New York Times ran a good article on dog-scent lineups looking particularly at cases in Texas involving that state’s version of discredited dog handler John Preston (see previous coverage of Preston here, here, here, and here.

According to the Times, Deputy Keith A. Pikett of the Fort Bend County, Tex., Sheriff’s Department, serves as a consultant to law enforcement agencies around Texas using his home-trained bloodhounds (named Columbo, Quincy and Clue) and has performed thousands of scent lineups since the 1990s.

The controversy surrounding him and the cases on which he has worked is essentially a mirror of what’s gone on in this state with John Preston. Makes you wonder how widespread the use of dog-scent lineups is in other states around the country, and more importantly, how many innocent individuals are wrongfully incarcerated as a result

Related posts:

1. More police dogs fail “scent lineup” test Two lawsuits have been filed against a police team of dogs who are accused of failing scent tests and rigging...
2. The FBI’s new scent technology According to an Indianapolis news station, the FBI has developed a new scent preservation technology that can “literally bottle up...
3. Time Magazine features article on Pikett’s dogs Not long ago we talked about another case of misleading police scent dogs in Texas (see the articles here and...
4. Gary Bennett article in Florida Today Last week I posted a blog about Gary Bennett, who has spent 25 years in jail due in part to...
5. Bill Dillon Roundup There has been a flurry of activity recently surrounding the case of William Dillon. Dillon was exonerated by DNA testing...
6. Another Man Convicted by Preston’s Dogs Gary Bennett, who has spent 25 years in prison, may be the fourth person exonerated in Brevard County based on...