News of the California Association of Criminalists • News of the ...
News of the California Association of Criminalists • News of the ...
News of the California Association of Criminalists • News of the ...
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The President’s Desk<br />
Something Something f ffor<br />
f or Ever Every Ever y Member<br />
Member<br />
I just want to start my year as President by stating what an honor it is to<br />
follow some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> great names in criminalistics. I look at <strong>the</strong> signatures on <strong>the</strong><br />
coconut and see people who have influenced me in <strong>the</strong> field, people with whom I<br />
have gone to school or worked, <strong>the</strong> authors <strong>of</strong> many papers and developers <strong>of</strong> analytical<br />
methods, and people I have spent time with at conferences, meetings, and<br />
training classes. I hope to carry on <strong>the</strong> tradition with <strong>the</strong> energy and commitment<br />
needed to follow in <strong>the</strong>ir footsteps. I want to thank Pennie Laferty and Ray Davis<br />
for leaving <strong>the</strong> presidency in good shape and <strong>the</strong> organization running smoothly. I<br />
must also thank Dean Gialamas for his contributions and leadership as our treasurer<br />
<strong>the</strong>se last two years. I believe his knowledge <strong>of</strong> financial matters and guidance<br />
in changes we made will impact us in a very positive way in <strong>the</strong> years to come.<br />
Lastly, those that attended <strong>the</strong> Oakland meeting have to thank <strong>the</strong> Oakland Police<br />
Department staff for <strong>the</strong>ir hard work in putting on a successful meeting. Tom<br />
Abercrombie, <strong>the</strong> most active non-CAC member, and Brian Karp were in <strong>the</strong> forefront<br />
but I know <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> Mary Gibbons’ staff contributed to <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> this<br />
meeting.<br />
This year I intend to challenge you with my messages. My intent is to encourage<br />
conversation and action. Where are we and where are we headed in our pr<strong>of</strong>ession.<br />
The four topics I will address will be participation in <strong>the</strong> CAC, quality assurance/accreditation<br />
issues, analysis <strong>of</strong> samples for which <strong>the</strong>re is no interpretation<br />
or <strong>the</strong> interpretation can be misconstrued (gunshot primer residue on clothing or<br />
cars, for instance), and leadership in <strong>the</strong> field. In <strong>the</strong> future I hope to stimulate<br />
discussion and responses in favor or against my opinions, in <strong>the</strong> CAC<strong>News</strong>.<br />
Participation in <strong>the</strong> CAC<br />
I find it very disturbing that we have not been able to find more than one<br />
person willing to take on <strong>the</strong> tasks <strong>of</strong> president-elect <strong>the</strong> past two years. I want to<br />
encourage ALL members <strong>of</strong> this association to begin <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> learning about<br />
<strong>the</strong> CAC. The best way is to begin small, become a committee member on a larger<br />
committee, <strong>the</strong>n take an elected board job or move your committee membership to<br />
one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> more difficult committees.<br />
I will outline a good method for learning about <strong>the</strong> association before you<br />
take on <strong>the</strong> task <strong>of</strong> president-elect. This is a path that one can take to becoming<br />
comfortable enough to become president (you must have served on <strong>the</strong> board to be<br />
eligible for president-elect). Start on a committee like Training and Resources or <strong>the</strong><br />
Awards Committee. These are larger committees that will get busy only periodically<br />
with <strong>the</strong> work spread out among <strong>the</strong> committee members. A good way to<br />
learn a board member’s job is to volunteer to help a board member who is in your<br />
lab or a neighboring lab. For example <strong>the</strong> treasurer’s job has an assistant position<br />
that helps with <strong>the</strong> dues collection and tracking. The nominating committee is an<br />
excellent way to get started allowing you to learn <strong>the</strong> names <strong>of</strong> members. The Sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
or Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Regional Directors jobs are not time intensive if you are organized.<br />
These are two excellent ways to be introduced to <strong>the</strong> Board <strong>of</strong> Directors.<br />
The next committees can get very busy during certain times <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> year but<br />
<strong>the</strong>y also provide incredible insight into this organization. They are <strong>the</strong> Endowment,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Financial Review, and <strong>the</strong> Ethics Committees. O<strong>the</strong>r committees that probably<br />
require a little experience or at least specialized experience include <strong>the</strong> ABC,<br />
By-laws, Historical, and Merchandise Committees. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se committees are<br />
multi-year commitments and vary in <strong>the</strong> times <strong>the</strong>y get busy.<br />
Please turn to page 26<br />
I find it very<br />
disturbing that<br />
we have not been<br />
able to find more<br />
than one person<br />
willing to take on<br />
<strong>the</strong> tasks <strong>of</strong><br />
president-elect<br />
<strong>the</strong> past two<br />
years.<br />
Jim Jim Stam<br />
Stam<br />
CAC President