Judiciary committee advances three Science Advisory Board nominees and reconfirms Police Complaints Board chair

Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chairwoman of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, on Tuesday moved to advance three nominations to the Science Advisory Board and to reconfirm the chair of the Police Complaints Board, and the committee approved all four measures unanimously.

The nominations considered were Proposed Resolution 26-201 (Justine Cresso), PR 26-202 (Laura Sudcamp), PR 26-203 (Mark Mogul) and PR 26-205 (Paul Ashton). The three Science Advisory Board nominations were moved together to be considered in block. "Without objection, we'll move these 3 nominations to the Science Advisory Board and block," Pinto said. The committee then voted and Pinto announced, "The ayes have it unanimously and the motion is approved." Later, after consideration of PR 26-205, Pinto said, "The ayes have it unanimously and the motion is adopted."

The Science Advisory Board (SAB) was established in 2011 at the same time as the Department of Forensic Sciences and is charged with periodic review of agency standards and protocols; Pinto described the SAB as ensuring "scientific peer review and accountability of DFS." The board must include five scientists — one statistician and one expert in quality assurance — and four forensic scientists who are not employed by the Department of Forensic Sciences or another law enforcement laboratory, according to the committee discussion.

Justine Cresso is nominated to fill a seat reserved for a scientist with experience in scientific research and methodology. The committee record says Cresso has more than two decades of experience in forensic firearms examination and, since February 2012, has served as senior firearms examiner and section supervisor at the Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences in Syracuse, New York. PR 26-201 would confirm her to a term ending April 18, 2028.

Laura Sudcamp is nominated to the SAB after a 35-year career in forensic science. The committee record says Sudcamp holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Kentucky, completed the Forensic Management Academy at West Virginia University, and retired in 2024 as laboratory system director and division director of the Kentucky State Police Division of Forensic Sciences, where she oversaw six laboratories and 145 employees across multiple forensic disciplines. PR 26-202 would confirm her to a term ending April 18, 2028. The record also notes she operates a consulting firm, Forensic Management Strategies LLC, and serves as executive director of the Office of Program Performance for the Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts.

Mark Mogul is nominated to the SAB; the committee record states he works at the U.S. Department of Justice as an assistant director of forensic sciences in the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program and oversees the Global Forensic Science Unit. The record lists 34 years of experience in forensic science and a bachelor of science in biochemistry. PR 26-203 would confirm him to a term ending April 18, 2028; the record notes he works in the District and is a Ward 1 resident.

PR 26-205 would reconfirm Paul Ashton to the Police Complaints Board as the Ward 5 member. The committee record says Ashton is the current chair of the Police Complaints Board, has served on the board since December 2024 and as chair since October 2016, and works for the Justice Policy Institute, a nonprofit focused on criminal justice reform. The Police Complaints Board is an independent body that reviews the Office of Police Complaints' dismissal determinations, conducts periodic reviews of the citizen complaint review process, and issues policy recommendations and reports related to Metropolitan Police Department and Office of Police Complaints operations. The record does not specify a term end date for Ashton.

Votes at a glance: PR 26-201 (Justine Cresso) — approved; PR 26-202 (Laura Sudcamp) — approved; PR 26-203 (Mark Mogul) — approved; PR 26-205 (Paul Ashton) — adopted. Committee roll-call names were not read into the record; the chair characterized each vote as unanimous. The meeting record shows the committee had a quorum with Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) and Councilmember Wendell Felder (Ward 7) present alongside Pinto.

There were no public hearings or extended debate recorded on the nominees; committee action consisted of moving the prints and reports of the resolutions with leave for staff to make technical, editorial and conforming changes, followed by unanimous votes. Pinto closed the meeting and thanked the nominees for their service before adjourning.