Only Rich People Can Defend Themselves!
The Broward County medical examiner's office is charging $309.00 per hour to respond to public records requests for documents related to the chain-of-custody, storage, and analysis of blood and urine samples including documents related to the qualifications and proficiency of their analysts and the calibrations of their Gas Chromatographs. On a typical urine drop case, they estimate anywhere from 2 to 3 hours of time at that rate. That's almost a thousand bucks just to get evidence of whether or not the lab is even competent to make the determination that someone is guilty of DUI. This is alarming; especially in light of the fact that labs are coming under fire all over the country for failing proficiency tests. It also leaves no way for the poor or average wage-earner to afford his or her defense.