Peterson, Quentin
This interview was recorded via Zoom on September 21st, 2020 and it covers the following themes:
b. 1954
A brief overview of childhood, interest in science, military service, college in Kansas, and early chemistry lab career. Application with Tucson Police Department to work in forensics in 1980.
Increasing criminalization of intoxicated driving in the 1980s.
The Tucson Police Department lab in the early 1980s. Peterson’s focus on DUIs and time spent testifying in court.
DUI laws and their impact upon the legal system. Judges’ skepticism of new types of chemical evidence. Changing community attitudes towards drunk driving. Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Stories about paint analysis, the challenges of sharing evidence and retesting old samples in DUI cases, and drug identification.
Changes in crime lab work over Peterson’s career: the rise of DNA analysis and the appearance of computers in the lab.
Retirement from TPD in 2007. The influence of television shows like Crime Scene Investigation on applicants for lab jobs.