Download Curriculum Vitae for

2013 Curriculum Vitae for
John Neil Houde
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 1979
Major: Microbiology
Minor: Music Education
EXPERIENCE
1997 - 2007 Fire Prevention Officer, Ventura Co. Fire Department, Camarillo,
CA. Developed Juvenile Firesetter program, wrote successful Office of
Traffic Safety grant, developed Business Self-Inspection Program, developed
and maintained official website. Prepared dept. newsletter and annual
reports.
1988 - 1997 Senior Criminalist, Ventura Sheriff’s Crime Lab: Provided traditional
(nonDNA) serology analysis, Trace evidence examination, Fire debris
analysis. Processed major crime scenes, analyzed evidence and testified in
court.
1987 - 1988 Classroom eacher, St. Bonaventure HS, Ventura, CA College
Preparatory Biology, lecture and lab, including general biology, human
physiology and anatomy.
1984 - 1987 Criminalist, Ventura Sheriff’s Crime Lab. Provided narcotic analysis
and forensic analytical chemistry. Processed clandestine lab scenes, analyzed
evidence and testified in court.
1980 - 1984 Classroom Teacher (full time), St. Paul’s School, Ventura, CA. Junior
High level chemistry and biology lecture and lab.
1981 - 1984 Criminalist (part-time), Ventura Sheriff’s Crime Lab, Ventura, CA.
Performed narcotic analysis, provided courtroom testimony
1979 - 1980 Laboratory Technician, (criminalistic) Calif. Dept of Justice Regional
Crime Lab, Santa Barbara, CA. Provided laboratory support for criminalist
staff.
1976 - 1978 Benton County Sheriff’s Intern, Corvallis, OR. Assisted law
enforcement in crime scene photography and evidence collection.
CERTIFICATES
Certificate of Professional Competency, Calif. Assoc of Criminalists 1989
Diplomate, American Board of Criminalistics (1990-current)
Emergency Medical Technician 1A, Ventura Co. (1984, not current)
Forensic Alcohol Analyst, CA Dept of Health Svcs. (1979, not current)
Court certified as expert witness in criminalistics in over 200 trials and hearings
including Calif. state and U.S. federal courts.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
California Association of Criminalists (CAC): Full Member & Publisher, The
CACNews (organizational newsletter)
American Society for Microbiology (Southern Calif. Branch)
AWARDS
Distinguished Member, California Association of Criminalists 2004
Benjamin Franklin Award, Publisher’s Marketing Assoc., 2000
Ippie Award, Independent Publisher, 2000
New York Public Library “Books for the Teen Age,” 2000
POSTGRADUATE COURSEWORK /TRAINING
Training Presented
Clandestine Lab Investigation, 1986
Laboratory Analysis of Fire Debris, Ventura College Fire Academy, 1999, 2000
Fire Debris Analysis, Ventura Co. Fire Dept, April 2003
Fire Debris Analysis, Los Angeles Co. Arson Task Force, Sept 2003
Training Received
Basic Forensic Microscopy, Walter McCrone, Instructor., McCrone Inst., 1985
Clandestine Lab Investigation, DOJ Advanced Training Ctr. 1986
11550H&S (drug) Influence Recognition, DOJ Adv. Training Ctr. 1986
Statistics, Ventura College, 1986
Public Health Education, Cal. St. Univ. Northridge, 1982
BASIC Computer Programming, Ventura College, 1986
Criminal Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Ventura College of Law, 1983
Arson Analysis, Orange Co. Sheriff’s Lab, 1995
Analysis of Fire Debris, John DeHaan, Instructor., Calif. Crim. Inst. 1996, 2000
Juvenile Firesetter, Oregon St. Fire Marshal, 1999
Bullet Ricochet Identification Workshop, Luke Haag, Instr., 2002
PUBLICATION LIST
25. Houde, J., “Four-Score and Counting,” The CAC News, 4th Quarter, 2011, pp.
16-19. Recap of the past eighty issues of the CACNews.
24. Houde, J., “Judge for a Day,” The CAC News, 1st Quarter, 2010, pp. 30-31. Firstperson essay on serving as a mock judge in a real Calif. superior courtroom.
23. Houde, J., “The Founders of the California Association of Criminalists,” The
CAC News, 3rd Quarter, 2008, pp. 8-25. Capsule biographies of each of the sixteen
founders of the CAC from 1954.
22. Houde, J., “Bridge 35-199”, The CAC News, 2nd Quarter, 2008, pp. 14-22. A 1959
murder case is examined from the perspective of a 1960’s era forensic scientist.
21. Houde, J., CRIME LAB: A Guide for Nonscientists, Second Edition.
Rollingbay, WA: Calico Press, LLC, 2006. Updated and rewritten edition of an
introductory textbook for nonscientists and others having an interest in forensic
science. Color, 224pp. ISBN 978-0-9658286-4-2.
20. Houde, J., CRIME LAB: A Guide for Nonscientists. Ventura: Calico Press,
LLC, 1999. Introductory textbook for nonscientists and others having an interest
in forensic science. Color, 206 pp. ISBN 096582862X.
19. Houde, J. and Rogahn, K., “Fire Foams: Boon or Bane to the Fire Debris
Analyst?”, The CAC News, 1st Quarter, 1999, pg 18. A review of the influence of
fire suppression foams on traditional fire debris analysis.
18. Houde, J. and Beattie, D., “Absorption Elution Using Monoclonal Antisera”,
The CAC News, Summer 1996. Method to replace increasingly hard to find
polyclonal antisera.
17. Houde, J., “Technique: Saliva Mapping”, The CAC News, Fall 1993, pg. 4. A
new method of visualizing saliva stain patterns on cloth.
16. Houde, J., “No Blarney: Dublin Crime Lab Brings High-Tech to Ireland”, The
CAC News, Spring 1993, pp. 6-7. Feature article describing the equipment,
methods and personnel used by the Irish Republican government in scientific
crime detection.
15. Houde, J., “Image Enhancement for Document Examination Using the
Personal Computer”, J. For. Sci., 1993, Vol. 38, No.1. Application of inexpensive
equipment for restoring faint, erased text.
14. Houde, J., and Bishop, N., “Microorganisms in Seized Cocaine Samples”, The
CAC News, Summer 1993, pp.18-20. [Abstract published in J. For. Sci. Soc., 1989,
Vol. 29, pg. 346.] Identification of microbial contaminants in large quantities of
cocaine smuggled into the U.S.
13. Houde, J., “Application of a Rewashing Technique to Enhance AbsorptionElution”, The CAC News, Fall 1992, pp. 12-13. Modification of current technique
for determining blood groups to improve reliability.
12. Houde, J. and Cassidy, F., “Short-Range Bullet Trajectory Computer Program
for MS-DOS Computers”, AFTE Journal, 1991, Vol. 23, pp. 784-791. Translation
and documentation of a bullet trajectory program written in BASIC.
11. Houde, J., “A Drug Sampling Scheme Using Hypergeometric Distribution”,
DOJ Tie Line, 1990, Vol 15, No.1, pp. 15-17. Application of statistical theory to the
problem of representative sampling in drug cases with large numbers of exhibits.
10. Houde, J. and Jones, E., “A Comparison of Two Methods for Observing
Glycogenated Squamous Epithelial Cells”, DOJ Tie Line, 1990, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp.
41-44. [Abstract published in J. For. Sci. Soc., 1992, Vol. 32, pg. 262.] Two staining
methods are compared for visualizing and therefore distinguishing vaginal
epithelia from that of other sources.
9. Houde, J., “Diatom Etymology”, The Objective, November 1990, Los Angeles
Microscopical Society. Translation of Latin and Greek names of a list of diatoms.
8. Houde, J., “A Question of Usability: ‘What Goes Through the Mind of the
Forensic Chemist?’”, California Narcotic Officer, Summer 1989, pp. 16-17. Feature
article addressing problems associated with determining usability in drug
residue cases.
7. Houde, J., “Microwave Mapping”, DOJ Tie Line, 1989, Vol 14, pg. 93. Method
to determine the areas of higher concentration of heating in a microwave oven.
6. Houde, J., “Infrared Viewing in Real Time”, DOJ Tie Line, 1989, Vol. 14, pg. 61.
A novel application of an infrared viewer to visualizing gunshot residue through
bloodstains.
5. Houde, J., “Meperidine Analogs”, DOJ Tie Line, 1989, Vol. 14, pg. 66.
Explanation of various chemical side products produced in the illicit synthesis of
meperidine.
4. Houde, J., “PCP Oil Cleanup”, DOJ Tie Line, 1989, Vol. 14, Pg. 65. Application
of solvent/solvent clean up for PCP.
3. Houde, J., “A Simple Extraction of Ethchlorvynol from ‘Soft-Gelatin’
capsules”, DOJ Tie Line 1986, Vol.11, pg 12-13. Application of solvent/solvent
extraction technique to clean up ethchlorvynol prior to infrared analysis.
2. Houde, J., “Linear Regression by Computer”, [Abstract], J. For. Sci. Soc., 1986,
Vol. 26, pg. 225. A computer program to plot a line of best fit over data generated
by standard solutions, etc.
1. Houde, J., “From Whence Came That Alcohol?”, DOJ Tie Line, 1979, Vol 5, pg.
16. An overview of the spurious production of alcohol in blood vials; causes and
prevention.