Have we learned the lessons of the Willingham case? A national survey of fire investigators
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Authors
Cook, David
Issue Date
2015
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic sciences
Alternative Title
Abstract
The research sought to quantify the extent to which six forensically faulty fire Reese methods, which were discredited by scientists more than 20 years ago, have continued to be used in the field as well as how the professional qualifications of fire investigators are related to their likelihood of using discredited fire investigation methods to infer that a given fire was intentionally set.
The researcher analyzed data gathered in the National Survey of Fire Investigators, which collected 12 demographic data items from 217 public-sector fire investigators in 36 US states and asked participants seven questions to identify the causes of six fire scene observations that were once universally accepted by arson investigators as compelling signs of arson.
The research showed that some of the arson investigation myths are still commonly believed to be legitimate indicators of arson, while others are no longer widely believed, and that attributes usually associated with professional competence do not reliably predict whether or not a fire investigator will recognize all six arson investigation myths.