Overview

Question 1

What is forensic science?

Answer 1

the application of science to the criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system.

Question 2

Mathieu Orfila (1787-1853)

Answer 2

Founder of Forensic Toxicology

Age of 26- published his first paper on poisons

Arsenic case with woman and older husband who died and people thought was murdered

Orfila was able to show that there was arsenic in the bones of the deceased and the wife was convicted for his murder

Question 3

Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911)

Answer 3

Started collected thumbprints in 1888

Credited with developing the first classification system of fingerprints

Wrote Finger Prints (1892)
Credited with the first classification system for fingerprints

First proponent to classify the loop, arch, and whirl

“Galton ridge” used to describe a feature in fingerprints

Question 4

Hans Gross (1847-1915)

Answer 4

Coined the term, “criminalistcs “

Published Criminal Investigation (1893)

Started the journal, Kriminologie

Helped define the specializations

Question 5

Victor Balthazard (1852-1950)

Answer 5

Medical examiner for paris

Helped advanced fingerprints, firearms, and hair analysis

Developed probability models

Helped show that fingerprints are unique, but showed that there is a small chance of 10 to the sixtieth that people will have the same patterns

First to note distinctive markings in firarems and the bullet hole produced in soft fabrics

With Marcell Lambert - wrote The Hair of Man and Animals

Testified used photographs and comparison techs to id bullets involved in a fatal shooting

Question 6

Alphonse Bertillion (1853-1914)

Answer 6

First to use body measurements along with descriptive information in photos to creat descriptive cards of an individual

Anthropometry (Bertillonage)

First forensic scientist in Europe to use fingerprints to solve a case (1902)

Made room on his system for the right hand fingerprints

Mona lisa case only had left hands

Realization that you need fingerprints from both hands
Big shift to fingerprints (1910)

Question 7

Albert Osborn (1858-1946)

Answer 7

Developed the fundamental principles of document examination

Responsible for acceptance of documents as scientific evidence by the courts

Wrote first scientific text in the field, still used today, Questioned Documents (1910)

First one to get these docs into the courtroom as someone who testified and showed they are scientific evidence

Not as broadly used due to DNA advancements that caused it to be phased out

Question 8

Edmond Locard (1877-1966)

Answer 8

Trained in both law and medicine

Locard’s exchange principle

Established a forensic lab in Lyon, France (1910)

“Every contact leaves a trace”
One of the only principles that always stands true

Believed that trace evidence was super important in tying people together

Studied microscopic trace evidence (dust, etc.)

Question 9

Leone Lattes (1887-1954)

Answer 9

Karl Landsteiner’s blood groups (1901) intrigued Lattes

Devised a procedure for determining the blood group of dried bloodstains

Most research now is focused on how long a blood stain has been there

Currently trying to advance by determining how much blood was originally shed by dried blood spatter

Question 10

Calvin Goddard (1891-1955)

Answer 10

Credited with establishing the scientific exam of firearms in the US

Army physician and gun enthusiast

Joined the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics

Named Director of the scientific crime detection lab at Northwestern University

Valentine’s Day massacre
(Capone Italian and Irish gang, PD involved)

• Goddard was able to determine the weapon used (Thompson sub machine guns)
• Goddard and his coworkers were the ones able to created the comparison microscopes to see if firearm data lines up and creates the same markings

Question 11

Walter C. McCrone (1916-2002)

Answer 11

World’s preeminent microscopist

Educated thousands throughout the world in the application of microscopic techniques for the visualizaiton for different aspects of evidence

Used stereo microscopes to show people how they can look at a tool and determine where you can swab for certain things like blood

Question 12

First training center

Answer 12

1981: first time the US had a training research center (“forensic science research and training center”) dedicated to new scientific methods and research

FBI

Used mostly by the FBI, but houses most training for all law enforcement

Question 13

FBI (1932)

Answer 13

Largest crime lab in the world

Offers services to all law enforcement

Under directorship of Hoover (not the lab but general creation)

National Laboratory offering forensic services to all law enforcement

Question 14

Los Angeles Police Department

Answer 14

Oldest US forensic laboratory

Created in 1923 by August, last name in recording