George Schiro received his Master of Science degree in Industrial Chemistry - Forensic Science from the University of Central Florida and his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Louisiana State University. He is also certified by the American Board of Criminalistics in criminalistics with the specialty area of molecular biology.
Experience:
In his over 30 year career, George Schiro has examined evidence in 4500 criminal investigation and civil cases. While most of these cases have been in Louisiana, he has also consulted on cases in 31 other states, for the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and in Israel, New Zealand, Panama, and the United Kingdom.
From 1984-1988, he was employed as a Criminalist with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Crime Lab in Metairie, Louisiana. During this time he conducted marijuana analysis, arson analysis, gunshot residue detection, latent fingerprint development, hit and run paint analysis, hair examination, fiber analysis, serological analysis, and crime scene investigations.
From 1988-2001, he was employed as a Forensic Scientist with the ASCLD-LAB accredited Louisiana State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge. While there, he worked in the areas of serology and DNA analysis. He and fellow forensic scientist, Carolyn Booker, set up the DNA lab and validated the systems for DNA analysis. He has also conducted projectile trajectory reconstructions, fracture comparisons, bloodstain pattern analysis, crime scene investigation/reconstruction, latent print development, and shoeprint examinations.
From 2002-2013, George was employed as Forensic Chemist - DNA Technical Leader of the ASCLD-LAB accredited Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory in New Iberia, Louisiana. His duties included DNA analysis, bloodstain pattern analysis, and crime scene investigation.
George is currently employed as the Lab Director by the ANSI-NAB 17025 accredited testing laboratory (Refer to certificate and scope of accreditation FT-0290 at anab.ansi.org), Scales Biological laboratory, Inc. in Brandon, Mississippi.
Throughout his career, George has attended professional schools, workshops, meetings, and symposia dealing with various aspects of forensic science. This continuing education included attendance at the FBI Academy on five separate occasions, training at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Lab, and training with Dr. Henry Lee at the University of New Haven in New Haven, Connecticut.
George has spoken to numerous criminal justice organizations on various aspects of forensic science and crime scene investigation. He spoke at the Fourth and Seventh International Conferences on Legal Medicine held in Panama City, Panama. He has also been a guest lecturer at the U.S. State Department's Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program Police Executive Seminar.
George has worked approximately 4500 cases and has testified as an expert for the prosecution and defense 205 times in 31 Louisiana parishes, two Arkansas counties, one California county, two Florida counties, 22 Mississippi counties, one Missouri county, two Nevada counties, one New Mexico county, two New York counties, one Tennessee county, three Texas counties, one West Virginia county, one Wyoming county, federal court, a U.S. court-martial, and two Louisiana city courts. He has consulted on cases in 31 states, for the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and in Israel, New Zealand, Panama, and the United Kingdom. He is also a member of several forensic science organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction. He was the chairperson of the Association of Forensic DNA Analysts and Administrators (AFDAA). He is past president and vice-president of the Louisiana Association of Forensic Scientists (LAFS) and was the editor of Nanogram, the official publication of LAFS. He has also authored several papers, some of which have appeared in both electronic and print media.
George is a contributing author to the Forensic Medicine Sourcebook. He was one of several technical advisors on the books O.J. Unmasked: The Trial, The Truth, and The Media by M.L. Rantala and Pocket Partner by D. Evers, M. Miller, and T. Glover. He is also featured on several forensic science related television shows and in several books. He was also the second recipient of the Young Forensic Scientist Award given by Scientific Sleuthing Review and he was a columnist for Southern Lawman Magazine.
