Public forum on unreliable police drug test kits planned Feb. 16 in Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Review-Journal and ProPublica will host a public forum on unreliable police drug test kits in Las Vegas on Feb. 16.
The event is based on a recent investigation about how the Las Vegas criminal justice system uses $2 roadside drug kits to jail thousands of people annually — years after the city’s police crime lab flagged them for producing false positives.
The free event is from 6:30-8 p.m. in Greenspun Hall on the UNLV campus. The event, titled “Unreliable and Unchallenged,” will explain how the kits came into use in Las Vegas, why judges continue to effectively allow them, and explore the consequences.
Speakers include Chief Judge of the Las Vegas Justice Court Joe Bonaventure, Amy Albritton, victim of a wrongful conviction in Houston, Tex., where the tests are also used, and Laurie Diefenbach, a member of Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice. The event will be moderated by ProPublica reporter Ryan Gabrielson.
RSVP for the event here.
