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Jan Semenoff is the principal editor of Counterpoint and is well-known across Canada and the United States as an experienced Forensic Criminalist. He has testified as an expert in breath alcohol testing, SFST, and DRE issues in more than 150 jury trials, and has presented at more than 60 state, national and international conferences. He has been teaching science to professionals since 1986. He officially founded his parent company, Industrial Training & Design Ltd. in 1995. His ability to make complex scientific and forensic concepts understandable has made him a sought-after speaker in North America. ​ Jan (pronounced "Yawn"), studied social and physical sciences and educational theory at the University of Saskatchewan. Jan earned an Advanced Certificate in Police Studies from the Canadian Police College and was an Instructor at the Saskatchewan Police College. He has been a member of numerous advisory boards, and association executives over the years. Jan worked as an Emergency Medical Assistant with the local ambulance service for four years, then joined the Saskatoon Police Service. After an 18-year career as a Senior Constable and Violent Crimes Analyst, Jan retired and began teaching full-time with Industrial Training & Design Ltd. He has worked with many areas of industry including agriculture, food, mining, chemical, and steel, conducting workplace health and safety investigations, developing policies and procedures, and creating custom training programs for varied levels of learners from laborers, to lawyers, to scientists. Because of his policing background and extensive experience with breath alcohol testing, Jan became involved with lawyers and other legal and forensic professionals who looked to him for explanations of the science behind the tests. He has collaborated with lawyers, scientists, investigators, and toxicologists across Canada and in dozens of jurisdictions across the United States, bringing a fresh perspective to the science involved in legal practice. He has been married to Susan Reschny for 30 years. When Jan is not traveling, he enjoys spending time with his wife and adult sons. He is an avid photographer who enjoys woodworking, hiking, fly-fishing, scuba diving, cooking and discovering inane trivia to drive them all nuts.

BA, Arts & Sciences - University of Saskatchewan; Advanced Certificate Police Studies - Canadian Police College

Expert witness in more than 150 jury trials across North America

Peer Reviewed Submissions “Performance Characteristics of the Intoxilyzer 9000: An Independent Assessment & Review”, Poster Presentation & Written Materials, The International Association of Forensic Sciences, 21st Triennial Meeting, Toronto, ON, 2017 Approved for Continuing Legal Education Credit “Breath Testing Basics – Understanding the Process”, The DUI Defense Lawyers Association, San Diego, CA, 2019 “Understanding the Intoxilyzer 9000”, The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Houston, TX, 2019 “Updated - Performance Characteristics of the Intoxilyzer 9000”, The Georgia State Bar Association Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA, 2019 “Why Science Matters”, The DUI Defense Lawyers Association, Nashville, KY, 2019 “Presenting Scientific Evidence to Jurors”, with Bruce Kapsack, Esq., The California DUI Lawyers Association, San Francisco, CA, 2018 “An Independent Assessment of the Intoxilyzer 9000”, The Sixth Annual Man v. Machine Seminar, New York, NY, 2018 “Performance Characteristics of the Intoxilyzer 9000”, New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Manchester, NH, 2018 “Advanced DUI Seminar”, Course Faculty, The Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Columbus, OH, 2018 “Performance Characteristics of the Intoxilyzer 9000”, Trial Skills University, Key West, FL, 2018 “Performance Characteristics of the Intoxilyzer 9000”, The Georgia State Bar Association Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta, GA, 2017 “The Science of Breath Alcohol Testing”, The DUI Defense Lawyers Association, Charleston, SC, 2017 “The Intoxilyzer 9000”, The Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Atlanta GA, 2017 “Advanced DUI Seminar”, Course Faculty, The Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Columbus, OH, 2017 “Scientific Literacy in the Courtroom”, The South Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Columbia, SC, 2016 “The Intoxilyzer 9000 & the Unknown”, The DUI Defense Lawyers Association, Denver, CO, 2016 “Recent Trends in Breath Alcohol Testing”, The California Public Defenders Association, Monterey, CA, 2016 “Advanced DUI Academy”, Course Faculty, The Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Columbus, OH, 2016 “Breath Testing”, The Florida Bar Association, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 2015 “Breath Testing”, The California Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Santa Monica, CA, 2015 “Fundamentals in Breath Alcohol Testing”, with Bruce Kapsack, Esq., The Michigan Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Detroit, MI, 2014 “The Intoxilyzer 8000”, The Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Freeport, ME, 2014 “Fundamentals of Alcohol Testing”, The Colorado Public Defenders Annual Conference, Westminster, CO, 2012 “Understanding the Intoxilyzer 5000”, The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Top Gun Seminar, Austin, TX, 2012 and again in Arlington TX, 2012 “Issues in Breath Testing – The EC/IR II”, The Saskatchewan Trial Lawyers Association, Saskatoon, SK, 2012 “Medical Issues in DUI Defense”, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Mastering Scientific Evidence Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2012 “The Intoxilyzer 5000 Breakout Session”, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Mastering Scientific Evidence Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2012 “An Assessment Tool for the Reliability of Breath Alcohol Tests”, The South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Reese Joye Conference, Columbia, SC, 2011 “Measurement Uncertainty in Scientific Testing”, The Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Nashville, TN, 2011 “A Primer on the EC/IR II Breath Test Instrument”, Keynote Speaker, The Second EC/IR II Conference, Williamsburg, VA, 2011 “Assessing the Reliability of Breath Tests”, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers DUI Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2011 “The Intoxilyzer 5000 Breakout Session”, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Mastering Scientific Evidence Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2011 “An Update to the Science of Breath Alcohol Testing”, The California DUI Lawyers Association, San Diego, CA, 2011 “Can Breath Tests Go Wrong?”, Lyons Legal Seminars, Key West, FL, 2011 “Understanding the Fundamentals of Breath Alcohol Testing”, The DUI Symposium, Atlanta, GA, 2010 “Principles of Breath Alcohol Testing”, Tennessee Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Tunica, MS, 2010 “Assessing Reliability in Breath Alcohol Measurement”, The Utah Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Salt Lake City, UT, 2010 “Variables in Breath Alcohol Measurement”, The Ohio Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Columbus, OH, 2010 “The Effects of Alcohol at Altitude”, Lyons Legal Seminars, Key West, FL, 2010 “The Science of Breath Testing”, The California DUI Lawyers Association, San Diego, CA, 2010 “Asserting Challenges in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Invited presentation with Thomas E. Workman, Jr., Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Georgia State Bar, Atlanta, GA, 2009 “A Primer on Breath Alcohol Testing”, The Colorado Criminal Defence Bar, Boulder, CO, 2009 “The Expert Witness as Educator”, National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2009 “Critical Issues in Breath Alcohol Testing”, National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2009 “Current Issues in Alcohol Testing in Light of Bill C-2”, Quebec Bar Association, Montreal, QC, 2009 “Examining Evidentiary Issues in Forensic Testing”, The Forensic Blood and Urine Testing Program, San Diego, CA, 2009 “A Primer on Breath Alcohol Testing”, Keynote Speaker, The New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Manchester, NH, 2009 “The Fallibility of Breath Testing Devices, Protocols and Practices”, Arizona Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Tucson, AZ, 2009 “Emerging Issues in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Colorado Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Keystone, CO, 2009 Guest Panelist – “Who Killed Carter? – Bill C-2”, Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association 2008 Fall Conference, Toronto, 2008 “Bill C-2 & The Fallibility of Breath Testing Devices, Protocols & Practices”, Quebec Bar Association, Montreal, QC, and also Gatineau, QC, 2008 “Fundamental Principles of Breath Alcohol Testing”, Tennessee Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Tunica, MS, 2008 “Asserting Challenges in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Georgia State Bar, Atlanta, GA 2008 “Emerging Issues in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Alaska Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Girdwood, AK, 2008 “Examining Evidence to the Contrary”, Alaska Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, Girdwood, AK, 2008 “Operational Considerations in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Breath Test Equipment Source Code Seminar, Atlanta, GA, 2008 “Issues in Breath Alcohol Testing”, South Carolina Senate Judiciary Hearing, House Bill 3496, Columbia, SC, 2007 “Neglected Issues in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Keynote speaker, South Carolina Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers Annual Conference, Columbia, SC, 2007 “Issues that Matter in Breath Alcohol Testing”, Georgia Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers Annual Conference, Blairsville, GA, 2007 “Emerging Issues in Breath Alcohol Testing”, National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2007 “Examining Evidence to the Contrary”, National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2007 “Breath Alcohol Testing” Osgoode Hall, York University Intensive Criminal Law Program, Guest Lecturer, York University, Toronto, 2006 “Fuel Cells and Breath Alcohol Testing” EC/IR Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 2006 “Examining the Unknowns in Breath Alcohol Testing” Defenders Education, Portland, Maine, 2006 “Breath Alcohol Testing”, Alberta Criminal Trial Lawyers Association, Edmonton, 2005 “Alcohol Testing in the Workplace”, Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, Saskatoon, 2004 “Driving Without Impairment Program”, Government of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, 1991-1999 “Shipping Nuclear Substances”, Saskatchewan Geological Survey Open House, Government of Saskatchewan Industry and Resources, 2005 “Preparing Effective E-Learning Programs”, delivered to:  Saskatchewan Advanced Technologies Association Annual Workshop, 2004  Canadian Association of Safety Engineering Professional Development National Conference, Saskatoon, 2003 (also delivered Edmonton, 2003) “Infectious Disease Protocols and Police Response Issues”, delivered to:  Canadian Police Association Annual General Meeting, 1997  Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers Annual General Meeting, 1997 “Targeting Office & Workplace Safety”, Saskatchewan Optical Dispensers Association Annual General Meeting, 1996