Kay Ivey awards grants to strengthen fight against illegal drugs
Gov. Kay Ivey has strengthened the state’s arsenal in the fight against opioids and other illegal or abused drugs by issuing $386,207 in grants to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Ivey awarded grants of $260,207 and $126,000 that will enable the department to purchase two state-of-the-art substance analyzers capable of rapidly analyzing and identifying prescription and illegal drugs, including opioids. The analyzers are also expected to help reduce a backlog of drug cases. “Evidence provided by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is often the difference between whether a suspect is convicted or set free,” Ivey said. “These new tools will greatly enhance the ability of technicians to accurately examine drug evidence and provide that information to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.” The analyzers can identify solid and liquid substances to determine the presence and type of drug. Average screening time for each sample is expected to take about two minutes, according to the department. The Department of Forensic Sciences performs evidence collection and identification for more than 450 law enforcement agencies in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grants from funds made available to the state from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). “Gov. Ivey recognizes the tireless work that the Department of Forensic Sciences performs daily to assist our law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial services in doing their jobs effectively and efficiently,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join Gov. Ivey in this partnership to provide this new equipment.”
Spencer Collier lists AL.com’s John Archibald passenger day of accident on witness list in Robert Bentley case
Last week, a witness list was released in an ongoing defamation lawsuit filed against former-Gov. Robert Bentley by his former law enforcement chief Spencer Collier. Collier, who is currently the Selma police chief, sued Bentley in 2016. He contends the former Governor wrongfully fired him in March 2016 as secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and then tried to discredit him with a sham state investigation. Flash forward to August 2017 and Collier was injured in a two vehicle car crash on Hwy 80 in Montgomery County that led to an investigation, since at the time of the crash Collier was driving an unmarked police SUV issued to him by the city of Selma. Ultimately Collier was cleared of any wrong-doing. After months of coverage on the suit, Alabama Today was tipped off this week to one glaring omission from all of the coverage written thus far: nestled 11 pages deep in a 12 page document, is one key fact: AL.com’s John Archibald was in the with Spencer the day of the wreck. “If any Defendant makes Collier’s wreck of August 14, 2017, an issue, Collier reserves the right to call any witness who has information of Collier’s condition on the day of the wreck including Selma Police Officers, the Selma PD Dispatcher, the Custodian of Records for the Selma PD and al.com columnist John Archibald who rode with Collier on the day of the wreck,” reads the subpoena. According to WSFA-12 the crash report revealed at around 7:45 p.m.: Collier’s vehicle was traveling east on U.S. 80 when it left the roadway, re-entered, then over corrected. Collier’s vehicle then began spinning before crossing the median and striking a second vehicle. The reports indicate Collier told investigators he did not remember anything about the crash or the events leading up to it. The driver of the second vehicle told investigators that when he realized Collier’s vehicle was starting to the cross the median, he hit his brakes and tried to take evasive action to avoid the collision. The report also shows investigators took a blood sample from Collier and submitted it to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. In dozens of articles about the crash — Times Daily, Lagniappe Mobile, Selma Times Journal, WSFA-12, Montgomery Advertiser, Decatur Daily, Alabama News Net — we found no mention of Archibald being in the car with Collier that day. In fact, AL.com, who usually doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to covering everything happening in the state, did not cover the accident whatsoever. Out of 810 articles that mention Collier, there’s not a single one that talks about the car crash where one of their writers, who also happens to now be a Pulitzer Prize winner, was with Collier some time prior to the wreck. Here’s where things get interesting. While the crash is seemingly unrelated to Collier’s firing and subsequent lawsuit, the toxicology report also appears to significant to Bentley in the suit with Collier. In December 2017, the former Governor attempted to subpoena the reports from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS). In addition to the toxicology results, Bentley also subpoenaed all documents related to the wreck and “any and all communications related to your investigation into Collier’s car accident… including without limitation any internal communications.” Archibald has further clarified in a tweet to Alabama Today that he was not in the car with Collier at the time of the accident, but rather with him earlier in the day. “Are you saying I was a passenger in Collier’s wreck? I was not. We filmed him in his cop car earlier in the day,” tweeted Archibald. Are you saying I was a passenger in Collier’s wreck? I was not. We filmed him in his cop car earlier in the day. — John Archibald (@JohnArchibald) January 30, 2019 See the full subpoena below: *Headline and article have been updated to reflect John Archibald were not in the wreck together. Rather Archibald was a passenger in Collier’s car that day.
Steve Marshall appoints new director of Alabama Dept. of Forensic Sciences
Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Wednesday the appointment of Angelo Della Manna, of Hoover, Ala., to become director of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS). Among his official duties, the ADFS director oversees the State’s forensic sciences program, directs the work of agency investigative, scientific and medical personnel at the central office location as well as field offices and labs throughout the state, and is responsible for the overall comprehensive and technical training program for all agency staff. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of Angelo Della Manna as director of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences,” said Marshall. “Angelo brings to the position considerable experience and leadership as both a veteran of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and a nationally recognized authority in the field of forensic science. His extensive background in the Department of Forensic Sciences will ensure that the vital laboratory and death investigation services provided to state and local law enforcement will continue to be of the highest caliber.” Under state law, the Attorney General appoints the director of the ADFS. He was assisted in his appointment by a screening committee, which is subject to final approval by the State Personnel Board and Governor Kay Ivey. Della Manna expressed appreciation at being selected and looked forward to guiding the state forensics professions in their mission. “I am both humbled and excited to be selected by General Marshall as the next leader of one of the premier forensic science agencies in this country,” said Della Manna. “My staff of forensic science professionals and I will remain focused on the critical role we have in the justice system as the only internationally accredited provider of forensic science services in Alabama, as we collectively strive to help make Alabama safer, each and every day.” Della Manna began his service with the ADFS in 1993 where he worked on over 2,000 complex forensic cases ranging from burglary to capital murder, built a national leading forensic DNA program, assisted the Department in achieving International Laboratory Accreditation for the first time in its history, and secured and managed over $25 million in federal grant awards to-date. He was elected to serve on the FBI’s five-person Executive Board for DNA Analysis methods where he helped draft and implement new Standards for the Forensic DNA community. He also served as vice chair of the Biology/DNA Scientific Area Committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in developing new scientific standards in forensics. Della Manna holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Toronto and a master of science in forensic science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Della Manna replaces Director Michael Sparks who is retiring effective December 31, 2017. His appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2018,
