Introducing...
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Fred Whitehurst
By the time Frederic Whitehurst joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in February 1982 he had completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from East Carolina University and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Duke University and spent two years conducting post doctoral research at Texas A&M. He had also served three tours of duty with the US Army in Vietnam from 1969 to 1972. After completing new agents training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va, he served in the Houston, Sacramento and Los Angeles Field Offices conducting investigations in bank robberies, kidnappings, extortions, and drug trafficking. In 1986 Dr. Whitehurst was transferred to the FBI crime lab in Washington, D.C. where he worked until 1998 when he retired early.
During his tour of duty at the FBI’s crime lab Whitehurst raised concerns about sloppy science, poor record keeping, inappropriate alterations of reports by non-qualified personnel, and a number of other issues. For eight years he raised those issues within the FBI lab without results.
The concerns were based not only on his scientific expertise but also the law degree he earned going to Georgetown School of Law at night from 1992 to 1996. After Whitehurst wrote many of what was to be close to 250 letters to the US Department of Justice Inspector General’s Office over a period of five years, in 1995, the US DOJ IG Michael Bromwich, started an investigation which resulted in a 500 page report noting extensive problems within the crime lab. Working with the law firm of Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto, in Washington, D.C., Whitehurst sued President William Clinton, Attorney General Janet Reno, FBI Director Louis Freeh, the FBI, the US Department of Justice and the US Government and essentially won on all counts. Joining with Whitehurst’s legal counsel, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Whitehurst were able to bring out of the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act, the contents of over 2000 FBI laboratory files. Whitehurst retired early with what was essentially his pay check and retirement.
Following his retirement, Dr. Whitehurst started the Forensic Justice Project (FJP). The FJP is a not-for-profit forensic watch dog group based in Washington, D.C. which functions as a project of the National Whistleblower Center. Dr. Whitehurst lectures throughout the United States and abroad concerning issues of failure within forensic science. He also continues to conduct research into various areas of forensic science and is a forensic consultant. In January 2003 Dr. Whitehurst opened his own law firm and now also practices law in North Carolina.
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Jane Turner
Jane Turner entered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a Special Agent in October of 1978. She was assigned to the Seattle Division and became the first woman SWAT member, and the first woman Profile Coordinator. She was involved in the capture of Christopher Boyce (Flight of the Falcon), and the Green River Killer investigation.
Turner was also assigned to the Organized Crime squad in New York City, and was involved as a Psychological Profiler in the Abortion Clinic Bombings, and the Central Park Preppie Murder. Turner pursued a degree in Forensic Psychology, and left the New York Division to become the first woman Senior Resident Agent (SRA) in the FBI, assigned to Minot, North Dakota. Turner, as an Advanced Police Instructor, taught local, state and federal law enforcement in Criminal Profiling and Crime Scene Assessment, the Profiling of Sexual Offenders, and Interviewing Child Victims.
During the thirteen years that Turner worked in North Dakota, she established herself as an expert in child crimes, and was considered one of the best FBI agents working in Indian Country. In 1999, Turner brought to the attention of her management team, serious misconduct concerning failures to investigate and prosecute crimes against children in Indian Country and in the Minot, North Dakota community. Turner also reported on misconduct related to the potential criminal theft of property from the 9/11 Ground Zero crime scene in New York City by Minneapolis FBI personnel.
Turner’s whistle blowing actions, which resulted in retaliation and reprisal for what FBI management termed her “tarnishing” the image of the FBI, eventually forced Turner from FBI service after twenty five years.
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Sibel D. Edmonds
Sibel Edmonds was hired as a language specialist with Top Secret Clearance and assigned to the FBI Washington Field Office. She worked closely with FBI Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism divisions, with additional assignments to investigations by other FBI field offices.
During her work within the FBI Language Division, she became aware of serious problems within the division, ranging from security violations by some FBI employees, to intentional mistranslations and blocking of top-secret intelligence information related to 9/11 and National Security. She first documented and reported these problems to her immediate supervisor(s), officials in charge of FBI security, the SAC for the Counterterrorism division; and then to the highest authorities within FBI Headquarters.
She reported her allegations to FBI-OPR; to the Office of Inspector General for Department of Justice, which has been investigating her report since March 6, 2002; and to the Senate Judiciary Committee. After investigating her report, Senators Grassley and Leahy stated that the FBI had verified and confirmed most of her allegations, and that they denied none.
In July 2002, in order to help to raise public awareness of the seriousness of her allegations, she brought a FOIA complaint and a First Amendment/Privacy suit against the Department of Justice and the FBI. On October 18, 2002, Attorney General Ashcroft asserted State Secret Privilege in her case. In October 2003, Her FOIA case was dismissed on grounds of national security and FBI personnel privacy, and a notice of appeal was filed with the DC Appellate Court on December 6, 2003.
On January 5, 2004, she released a nine-page report to the 9/11 Commission and the Senate Judiciary Committee, and requested open public hearings.
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