Hub’s police fingerprint unit receives accreditation

“It’s a pretty big deal,’’ Jennifer Hannaford, head of the Latent Print Unit said of the seal of approval from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.

Hannaford said the nonprofit spent three days assessing the unit’s record keeping, training practices, the quality of its laboratory work, and other aspects before deciding that the unit has proven it is now professionally run.

Kathleen O’Toole, then the Boston police commissioner, closed the unit in 2004 after it was discovered that a fingerprint police said belonged to Stephan Cowans was not his. Cowans was convicted in 1998 for the nearly fatal shooting of Boston police Sergeant Gregory Gallagher in a Roxbury backyard one year earlier.

But DNA testing sought by the New England Innocence Project on other physical evidence conclusively proved Cowans was not the attacker. Police then rechecked the fingerprint and discovered the mistake.

Cowans served nearly six years in state prison before he was exonerated and released. He was killed in his Randolph home in 2007, one year after he was awarded $3.7 million in civil damages for his wrongful imprisonment. No one has been charged in the killing.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment,’’ David Meier, former chief of the Suffolk district attorney’s homicide unit, said of the accreditation.

After DNA testing excluded Cowans, Meier declared Cowans would be retried on the basis of a fingerprint but had to disavow that two days later after the print failed to match Cowans.

“The events of the past speak for themselves,’’ Meier said. “That was then, this is now.’’

Also in 2004, a forensic consultant, Ron Smith, concluded the fingerprint unit was manned by poorly trained, and overworked, officers.

The unit reopened in January 2006 after an extensive overhaul, police said.

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board said it voted to accredit the Boston unit Oct. 15 after looking at its current operations.

“Accreditation is the result of extensive commitment of resources and much preparation by the management and personnel in the Boston Police,’’ the nonprofit said in a statement. “Accreditation is granted only after a thorough evaluation of a laboratory’s management practices, personnel qualifications, technical procedures, quality assurance program, and facilities.’’

Hannaford said the rejuvenated unit consists of nine civilians, including herself. In the past, police officers and civilians worked in the unit.

“When we go to court, we are not testifying for one side or the other,’’ Hannaford said. “We are testifying about the facts about the analysis.’’

One training upgrade involves improving the way detectives use superglue at crime scenes to better preserve a fingerprint so it can be safely collected later.

“A fingerprinting is a very fragile thing, it’s mostly made up of water,’’ Hannaford said. “A gun is made to resist rusting to water so it’s not going to live long on its surface. They are now [using superglue] right away so we can get those prints secured.’’

Television shows featuring forensic examiners and specialized equipment are commonplace, but Hannaford said the renovation of the Boston unit did not rely on the purchase of costly equipment of limited practical use. Instead, she said, the department intensified training of its examiners, installed quality control oversight at multiple points during investigations, updated its technology, and taught detectives better ways to collect fingerprint evidence.

“We are using the same techniques that have been around for a long time,’’ Hannaford said. “We are just making sure the right ones are used in the right area.’’