Criminal justice graduate Roland Macher ‘11 is the lead author of an article published recently in Police and Security News.

Before graduating in May, Macher penned the article along with criminal justice professors Tod Burke and Stephen Owen.

Published in Police and Security News’ May-June issue, “Required Testimony by Crime Lab Personnel: The Impact of Melendez-Diaz” explores the Supreme Court ruling in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts and its impact on crime laboratory technicians.

“The article discusses not only the actual ruling in the Melendez-Diaz case, which dealt with experts and those performing tests on drugs being available for cross-examination, but also the impact it has had on the criminal justice field as a whole,” Macher said. 

Police and Security News has a nationwide circulation reaching 24,000 middle- and upper-management personnel and top administrators, Burke said, and is read by law enforcement professionals at all levels of government.

Macher, who plans to begin law school in the fall, said his time spent writing and working with the professors was an exceptional learning experience.

“They worked with me diligently to help me put together the best possible paper,” Macher said. “We had countless hours of research, meetings and corrections. There was no shortage of hard work on their part. They made my job much easier by guiding me in the right direction.”