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Intro to Forensic Science
Ms. Clark
PVMHS
What is Forensic Science?
What is Forensic Science?
• FORENSIC derives from the Latin word
“Forensis” which means “of the forum”
– An open area where scholars would debate
– Crimes were solved by debate
What is Forensic Science?
• “The application of scientific knowledge and
methodology to legal problems and criminal
investigations.”
Forensic Science Careers
Criminologist: Detectives that study physical evidence to link it to suspects
Digital/Multimedia Scientist: Assist in collecting & analyzing digital evidence
Toxicologist: Determine any substances in a victim’s or suspect’s system
Engineering Scientist: Analyze accidents and crime scenes to determine how,
when, and why things happened
Odontologist: Identify remains, usually using dental remains, and assist with
determining cause/time of death
Medical Examiner: Perform autopsies and assist with determining cause/time of
death
Anthropologist: Study the bones of a victim and assist with determining cause/time
or death
Entomologist: Study insect evidence and assist with determining time of death
Psychologist: Understand a victim or suspect from a mental health standpoint
Document Expert: Answer questions regarding documents, such as whether or not
a signature is real and if a document has been altered
An abbreviated history of Forensics
rd
3 Century BC
Chinese use fingerprints to sign
contracts or as a “signature” on letters.
They were also used to sign art &
literature.
1686
Marcello Malpighi
describes the
characteristics of
fingerprints – ridges,
spirals, loops
1786
One of the first recorded instances of
physical evidence used to solve a crime.
Paper that was used to wrap a murder
weapon, was also found in the pocket of
John Toms, who was subsequently
convicted of murder.
1880
Henry Faulds, a Scottish
physician, was the first scientist
to publish a report suggesting
fingerprints can be used to
identify criminals. While
working in Japan he used
fingerprints to clear an innocent
man of burglary.
1883
Alphonse
Bertillon, a police
officer and
statistician,
invented a system
of body
measurements that
was used to
identify criminals.
Anthropometry
1889
Alexandre Lacassagne, a French
physician and criminologist,
founded the Lacassagne school
of criminology in Lyon.
Edmund Locard worked as his
assistant.
Was the first to use the grooves
on a bullet to match it to a gun.
1893
Hans Gross, an Austrian criminologist,
publishes the first book on criminal
investigation.
1901
Sir Edward Henry
established the first
fingerprint classification
system in Britain.
Also credited with
introducing police dogs
to the London police
force.
1903
First official use of fingerprints in
the United States (New York City
Civil Service Commission).
1905
President Theodore Roosevelt establishes the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
1910
Edmond Locard establishes the first
police crime lab. Formulated Locard’s
exchange principle – the basic principle
of forensic science, every contact
leaves a trace.
1916
Detective Albert Schneider if the first
scientist to use a vacuum tool to collect
trace evidence.
1921
John Larson and Leonard Keeler
develop the first polygraph machine
1924
First US Crime lab established in Los
Angeles, California.
1924
FBI consolidates over 800,000 fingerprint
files from across the United States.
1948
America Association of Forensic Sciences
(A.A.F.S.) is founded in Chicago.
1974
Electron microscope technique for the
detecting of gun shot residue is developed
at Aerospace Corporation.
1975
The FBI introduces the Automated
Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).
This system allows the computerized
scan of fingerprints.
1977
Latent fingerprints are developed using
superglue for the first time.
1986
Sir Alec Jeffreys, a British geneticist,
develops DNA fingerprinting.
1987
The first use of DNA
fingerprinting in
England leads to the
conviction of Colin
Pitchford on charges
of murder.
The first use of DNA fingerprinting in the US
leads to the conviction of Tommy Lee
Andrews, in Orlando, Florida, on charges of
rape and burglary.
1992: the Innocence Project
The goal of the Innocence Project is to
exonerate persons who have been
wrongfully convicted of a crime.
Barry Scheck & Peter Neufeld
1998
National Data Index System - FBI
database linking DNA data throughout the
United States.
“CODIS”
encompasses
all databases
2008
Footwear Intelligence Technology is
developed in the UK; it’s the first footwear
coding system & database.
Any questions?