For Attorneys in Civil Matters Involving Law Enforcement
IRIS is a bench of retired major crimes detectives, forensic scientists, and court-recognized experts. We examine, reconstruct, and testify to the evidence in civil matters involving law enforcement — retained by plaintiffs and by defendants, and in the criminal cases underneath them.
Retained by both sides · Conflicts checked first · Nationwide, U.S. and Canada
300+
Years of combined experience
across the IRIS bench
150+
Times accepted as an expert witness
Suzanna Ryan — forensic DNA and serology
9
Forensic disciplines
available to a single matter
Free
Initial consultation
conflicts cleared before we look at anything
What we do for counsel
IRIS aids legal counsel. We validate findings, strengthen credibility, and build case-specific tools that enhance litigation readiness.
An independent re-examination of what the file actually supports — the evidence, the analysis, and the conclusions drawn from both. Findings come back in writing, with the methodology documented, whether or not they help your theory.
Timelines, scene reconstructions, spatial and geographic exhibits, and enhanced video and audio — the record made legible to a judge, a mediator, or twelve people who have never read a case file.
Deposition and cross-examination support, evidence inventories, gap analyses, and the exhibits your experts need to explain themselves. Faster preparation, lower cost, stronger representation.
Faster preparation. Lower costs. Stronger representation.
Matters we support
Most of these records have been investigated once already. A second examination — by specialists with no stake in the outcome — establishes what the evidence does and does not support, which is useful to whichever party is asking.
Independent reconstruction of the incident from the physical, video, and documentary record — and a clear account of what the record does and does not establish.
Review of the scene response, the documentation produced, and the investigative steps the record shows in the hours that followed.
Where the claim turns on how a report, a search, or a scene was handled — reviewed by people who ran those operations for a living.
A documented account of what evidence existed, what was collected and tested, which leads the file records, and what remains recoverable today.
Re-examination of biological evidence with current DNA and genetic genealogy methods, plus review of the bench notes, mixture interpretation, and statistics behind the original result.
Where a search or a death investigation is itself at issue — search strategy, tracking evidence, and outdoor scene handling, assessed against the conditions and resources on the ground.
Why this team
Thirty-four years in a major crimes unit. Twenty-four years as a bomb commander, SWAT operator, and tactical EMT. Retired homicide detectives, a forensic DNA analyst trained by the FBI to audit laboratories, a geographic profiler whose model is cited in the literature.
We know what a case file contains, what a scene response involves, and what it takes to work one properly with the people and hours a shift actually has. Where a record is complete, we will say so. Where something is missing or unresolved, we can document exactly what and why — with the methodology stated, so the finding holds up when it is tested.
What an independent review produces
Disciplines
Most matters need two or three of these. Assembling them from separate firms is where the cost and the calendar go.
The whole file re-read by a bench of specialists, with written findings you can hand to a judge or an adjuster.
How this worksComplete review of casework — bench notes, mixture interpretation, statistics — plus re-testing strategy and expert testimony.
How this worksBody-worn camera, dash camera, and CCTV footage documented, restored, enhanced, and reported for use as an exhibit.
How this worksGeographic and spatial analysis using the STEG model, developed by our own analyst and cited in the peer-reviewed literature.
How this worksTracking and footwear impression analysis, and testimony on tracking evidence recognized by Washington State courts.
How this worksOffender behavior, victimology, and case linkage from an investigative criminologist — where the pattern is the argument.
How this worksThe expert bench
Every claim below comes off a CV we can hand you — including testimony histories, where the work has already been tested on cross. Full backgrounds are on each profile.
Retired Homicide Detective · Professional Tracker · SAR Commander
Recognized by Washington State courts as an expert witness in tracking evidence, 2004–2019. Thirty-four years with the King County Sheriff's Office, most of them in Major Crimes, and case consulting for the King County Prosecutor's Office.
Full background and record
Forensic DNA & Genetic Genealogy Expert
Accepted as an expert in serology and/or forensic DNA over 150 times, in 21 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. military courts. Deposed more than 25 times, for prosecution and defense alike. Fellow in Molecular Biology, American Board of Criminalistics. Trained by the FBI to audit laboratories against the FBI Quality Assurance Standards.
Full background and record
Chief Operations Officer · Administrative Director
Twenty-four years with the King County Sheriff's Office as a bomb technician and bomb commander, SWAT team member, tactical EMT, and search and rescue coordinator, and a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Seattle.
Full background and record
Digital Media Specialist
Documents, restores, and analyzes video, audio, and photographic evidence — and produces the exhibit version a jury can actually see and hear. More than a decade of professional post-production.
Full background and recordHow an engagement runs
1
We clear conflicts before we look at anything — including any current or past agency engagement. Then a short call: the posture, the deadlines, and what you actually need proved.
2
The specialists the matter needs — and only those — go through the record. You get documented methodology and conclusions in writing, including the ones that don't help.
3
Timelines, reconstructions, enhanced media, and deposition support built from the findings, in the form your case needs them.
4
Our experts sit for deposition and testify to their own work, with CVs and testimony histories that have already been tested on cross.
Before you retain anyone
We think it is the reason to retain us, and we say so openly rather than hiding it. Our experts testify to evidence and methodology, not to who should win. A career inside a major crimes unit is what lets someone say precisely what a case file contains, what a scene response involves, and whether the record is complete — and document it so it holds up. The training work cuts the same way: we have no interest in a conclusion the evidence will not carry, in either direction, because we have to stand behind it in front of both audiences.
Both, and in criminal matters for prosecution and defense alike. Our DNA expert has provided pre-trial and trial assistance to both sides for years, and IRIS also trains and supports law enforcement agencies. We take a position on what the evidence supports, not on who retained us — which is what makes the opinion worth something when it is challenged.
A written report of findings with the methodology documented, any exhibits or demonstratives the matter calls for, and a current CV and testimony history for each expert who worked it. If we are testifying, you also get our file — built from the start on the assumption that opposing counsel will read every page of it.
Yes, early, and in plain language. A review that concludes the record will not carry the claim is a real answer, and you should not find that out during a deposition. We would rather lose the engagement than hand you an opinion that will not survive cross-examination.
It depends on the discipline and the volume — a DNA case-file review, a body-worn camera enhancement, and a full investigative reconstruction are different jobs. Tell us the deadline on the scope call and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable rather than accepting it and finding out later.
Throughout the United States and Canada. IRIS is based in Idaho, but the bench is spread across the U.S. and in Canada and travels to the case. Tell us where the matter is venued.
Each engagement is scoped individually after the conflicts check and an initial look at what the matter requires — review, exhibits, testimony, or all three. You get the scope in writing before any work starts.
For Counsel
Tell us the posture, the deadline, and what you need established. We'll clear conflicts, then tell you plainly what this bench can support — and what it can't.
