copyright © 2003, peter bocchino - legacy of truth® all rights reserved worldwide. definition...

Copyright © 2003, Peter Bocchino - Legacy of Truth® All rights reserved worldwide.

Definition

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


Forensic Science

• Includes the business of providing timely, accurate, and thorough information to all levels of decision makers in our criminal justice system.

• The word forensic is derived from the Latin “forensis” meaning forum, a public place where, in Roman times, senators and others debated and held judicial proceedings.


Criminalistics vs Criminology

• Criminalistics is the scientific examination of physical evidence for legal purposes.

• Criminology includes the psychological angle, studying the crime scene for motive, traits, and behavior that will help to interpret the evidence.


In the crime lab the principles and techniques of the physical and natural sciences are practiced and applied to the analysis of crime-scene evidence.

Scope of Forensic Science


Archimedes

• May have been first forensic scientist when he determined that King Heron’s gold crown was not pure gold.

• How did he accomplish this?


Sherlock Holmes1880’s

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle creates first Fictional Forensic Science character.


Mathieu Orfila1814

Father of forensic toxicology, published the first scientific treatise on the detection of poisons

and their affects on animals.


Alphonse Bertillon1879

Devised the first scientific system of personal identification through anthropometry, series of body

measurements (later replaced by fingerprinting in 1900s).


Francis Galton

Undertook the first definitive study of fingerprints and developed

methodology of classifying them for filing. Published Finger Prints in 1892.


Scotland Yard

• 1894

• Add fingerprints to the

Bertillon System• Not without humor: • Scotland Yard's crime database is called Home Office

Large Major Enquiry System, and the acronym is HOLMES. The training program is called "Elementary“.


Leone Lattes 1915Designed a simple procedure for determining the blood types A, B, and AB.

Calvin Goddard 1950Refined the technique of

comparing bullets using a comparison microscope.


Albert S. Osborne1910

Developed the fundamentalprinciples of document examination. Alsoauthored the book,Questioned Documents.


Hans Gross1893

Wrote the first treatise describing the application of scientific disciplines to the criminal

investigation.


1910 Edmond Locard

Developed a crime lab in Lyons, France, using

Hans Gross’ principles.

This is considered the firstworkable crime lab.


• 1923 – First Crime Lab Opens in the United States (Los Angeles)

• 1929 – 2nd Crime Lab established at Northwestern University


Director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover

1932

Establishes and trains staff of the Federal Crime Lab

Goal to create an efficiently run, professional law enforcement agency

First week lab was opened – handled 20 cases

Today they handle 1000’s of cases each week and have over 80 million fingerprints on file.

He also founded the National Police Academy


There are approximately 320 public crime labs operating at various

levels of government.

Despite all the new technological developments, basic police work still

depends on careful observation, careful questioning, detailed collection of

evidence, critical thinking and problem solving.


Reasons for the rapid growth of crime labs during the last 25 years:

•Supreme Court decisions in the 1960’s

•Staggering increase in crime rates in the US.

•Introduction of DNA profiling.

•Increase in drug related arrests – single most important factor in the US is drug analysis.


Four major federal crime labs

Organization of the Crime Lab

FBI DEA

ATF USPIS


The FB I maintains the largest crime lab in the world.

Its expertise and technology support its broad investigative powers.


Physical Science Unit

Applies principles and techniques of chemistry, physics and geology for

identification and comparison of crime scene evidence.

Services of the Crime Lab


Biology Unit

Identification and DNA profiling of dried blood

stains and other bodily fluids; comparison of hair and fibers and other

botanical materials.



Firearms Unit

Examination of firearms, discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells

and ammunition of all types.

Also detect firearm discharge on garments and other objects.



Document Examination Unit

Study of handwriting and typewriting to ascertain authenticity and/or source.



Photography Unit

Examine and recordphysical evidenceusing digital imaging,infrared, ultravioletand x-ray photography.



Toxicology Unit

Examination of body fluids and organs to determine the presence or absence of

drugs and poisons.



Fingerprint Unit

Processing and examining evidence for fingerprints.



Polygraph Unit

The lie detector has become an essential tool to the criminal investigator.



Voiceprint Analysis Unit

A sound spectrograph transforms speech into visual graphic display called a

voiceprint.



Trace Evidence Unit



Impressions and Tool Marks



Evidence Collection Unit

Trained personnel are dispatched to the crime scene to preserve and collect evidence.



Arson Investigation



Forensic Pathologist

Performs autopsy to establish cause of death being:

natural homicide

suicide accident

undetermined.

Also known as the Medical Examiner or Coroner.

Forensic Science Specialists


Forensic Psychiatry

Evaluation of behavioral disorder and to determine whether a person is competent

in civil and criminal cases.

Examines behavioral patterns of criminals as an aide in developing a suspect’s

profile.

Forensic Science Services


Forensic Odontology

Provide identification of victims through characteristics of teeth, alignment, and mouth

structure when compared to dental records.

Also does Bite Mark Analysis.



Forensic Entomologist

Study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation.

Can estimate time of death – since blow flies are the first to infest the body.



Forensic Anthropologist

Identifies and examines the human skeletal remains to determine:

Origin, Sex, Race, Age, and Injury

Also creates Facial Reconstructions.



Forensic Engineering

Accident Reconstruction

Failure Analysis

Causes of Fire and

Explosions



End of Chapter 1

copyright © 2003, peter bocchino - legacy of truth® all rights reserved worldwide. definition...

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