ARTICLES

5/6/2015· Psychology

Developmentally Disabled Adult Wrongful Death: PICA Disorder and Choking

By: Dr. William A. Lybarger

I have been providing expert witness services for several years. My practice, for the most part, has involved personal injury and wrongful death matters in health and human service agencies. More specifically, my work frequently requires a Standard of Care opinion related to the level of care provided by a service organization to a person with a developmental disability and/or mental retardation. As a part of this practice I have worked several cases involving an eating disorder referred to as PICA.

5/4/2015· Police Practices & Procedures

Search Warrant or Consent to Search?

By: Roger Chappell

Not long after I promoted to sergeant, I was training in a patrol division. I was riding with another sergeant when we received a call from two patrol officers. They were at an apartment complex and had chased a male into an apartment. They requested a supervisor go by with them. So, as part of my training, we went.

4/29/2015· Postal Services

Can the USPS Free Delivery Confirmation Service be Used in Lieu of Certified Mail as a USPS Record of Proof of Delivery?

By: Peter Wade

Recently I have had several firms ask me if they could use USPS Form 152 instead of the more costly Certified Mail most commonly used to provide proof of receipt. The short answer is no.

4/28/2015· Life Expectancy - Life Care Planning

Life Care Planners Offer Unique And Supportive Expertise

By: Ronald T. Smolarski

THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES HOW Life Care Planners can help trust officers, relationship managers, estate planners and attorneys determine the future monetary requirements, in actual dollars, of a catastrophically disabled, pediatric or geriatric client. This can be done through the creation of a Life Care Plan for that individual's lifetime. Case histories are used to demonstrate how LCPs address the complex needs of such clients. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the discipline of Life Care Planning complements the expertise of the trust officer.

4/23/2015· Failure Analysis

Weld Failure Analysis: Chair Failure Due to Inadequate Weld

By: Dr. Thomas Read

Read Consulting was asked to determine why a welded chair failed and caused injury to the person sitting in it.

4/21/2015· Construction

Contractor Fraud: Beware of Unscrupulous Contractors

By: Michael Panish

Most of the misunderstandings pertaining to contractor and homeowner relationships occur as a result of unclear or wrongly interpreted construction contracts. Upon entering into a building contract, the enthusiasm for starting the proposed work often creates a kind of glazing over or dulling of the senses on the part of the homeowner. Many times questionable terms and arrangements for payment scheduling are accepted or unknowingly agreed to as the homeowner's urgent desire to start work overshadows common sense. Often, the lowest priced contractor seduces the homeowner with promises of more value for the money.

4/16/2015· Education & Schools

Rigor Meets Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

By: Dr. Virginia Rhodes

Critical to a dynamic STEM school is a high level of instructional rigor. While this is true in all STEM schools, it is a particular challenge in those programs that serve populations inexperienced with high levels of rigor in their previous coursework.

4/14/2015· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction

Schoolbus Crossing: Safety and Security Part 1

By: Ned Einstein

In the last installment (STN, Jun, 2007), I stressed the importance of distinguishing between an actual bus stop and the waiting area across the street from it in terms of safety. But the selection of the stop and waiting area also involves concerns for student security. Sometimes, there are trade-offs that must be made. These trade-off are often complex and subtle. But they must be made correctly.

4/3/2015· Construction

Unfairly Blaming Tenants for Interior Mold?

By: Lonnie Haughton

Who likely should be blamed for the blackish mold growth found at this new three-bedroom, two-bath apartment in San Jose, California? Unfortunately, landlords often rush to accuse their tenants of generating too much "lifestyle moisture". In many cases, such assessments are both inaccurate and unfair.

4/2/2015· Police Practices & Procedures

Due Diligence and Eyewitness Identification

By: Roger Chappell

I have read a number of books, studies, and court cases in my career to support the fact that eyewitness identification, by itself, is never sufficient enough to send a person to prison. This is not news. Over the past 20 years, more and more people are being exonerated for violent crimes due to DNA . This article is not to rehash old arguments. Instead, it is more of a reminder to investigators everywhere to not finalize a case, charge a person, and send them to prison based solely on an eyewitness' identification.