Houston police fingerprint review: no wrong IDs
HOUSTON
The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday, from a public records
request, that a 1996 misidentification led to a person wrongly
incarcerated in a capital murder investigation. A 1997 written
reprimand to a lab worker did not list the identity of the person
or status of the case.
The fingerprint examiner, Rafael Saldivar, retired this spring.
Saldivar attorney Earl Musick declined comment.
Assistant Chief Tim Oettmeier said Tuesday he was unaware of the
misidentification and wants more information before deciding
whether to extend the review to 1990s cases.
A 2009 audit revealed some examiners were failing to find viable
fingerprints on evidence.
