Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III has been reappointed to the 14-member Commission on Forensic Science, which handles developing a program of accreditation for forensic labs in the state, as well as developing minimum standards for the laboratories.

Murphy has been in the position since 2004 when he was appointed by Gov. George Pataki. He was then reappointed by subsequent governors, now including Andrew Cuomo.

"I am gratified that you have accepted this reappointment and I am confident you will continue to serve the people of New York with dedication and distinction," the governor said in a statement.

In the same statement, Murphy said: "I am honored to have been appointed to the Commission to ensure that we maintain the best practices for all the forensic science labs in New York State. Only by having state of the art labs, vigilant testing and retesting, and disciplined protocols can we ensure that evidence is properly examined and useful in criminal cases."

Back in May, when I found out he was on this commission, he was a good source for a story about crime labs in the state, particularly the State Police Crime Lab in Albany.

The rest of the board consists of:

Chair: Michael C. Green, Executive Deputy Commissioner
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

Kathleen Corrado, Ph.D., Director
Onondaga County Forensic Science Laboratories

New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico
Albany, New York

District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick
Onondaga County

Brian J. Gestring, Director DCJS Office of Forensic Services
Albany, New York

Richard Jenny, Ph.D.
New York State Department of Health

Peter J. Neufeld, Esq.
New York City

Marvin E. Schechter, Esq.
New York City

Barry E. Scheck, Esq.
New York City

Marina J. Staji, Ph.D., Director of Toxicology Laboratory
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York City

Ann M. Willey, Ph.D.
Chatham, New York

Ex-officio:
Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH
New York State Department of Health