Law. In response to the public’s outcry to reduce crime, law enforcement agencies have taken measure to minimize crime, and have turned to the scientific community for assistance, for help, and technical support. Today, criminal Investigation revolves around three particular questions:
1. The Who – Which is based on witnesses, and evidence collection and comparison, 2. The How
– Which is based on the use of scientific fields (forensic science), and 3. The Whether – Which is based on expert testimony in court. Forensic Science is “The application …show more content…
Other early contributors to crime scene investigations include: Francis Galton (1822 –
1911): who developed the methodology of classifying fingerprints for filing and Leone Lattes
(1887- 1954): An Italian forensic scientist who build-upon a development by Dr. Karl
Landsteiner who discovered that blood could be classified into groups (A, B, AB and O) in
1901. Lattes was intrigued with the possibility that blood groupings could be used to classify or used as a form of identifying an individual. Calvin Goddard (1891 – 1955): who was considered the pioneer in ballistics, established the use of the comparison microscope as the tool to determine if a particular guns has fired a bullet by comparing it with a bullet that was test fired from a suspect’s gun. Albert S. Osborn (1858-1946): developed the fundamental principles of document examination that made it possible for documents to be accepted as a form of scientific evidence by the court system. Edmond Locard (1877 - 1966): convinced the police …show more content…
Charles Appel, Jr. (1924-1949): A Special Agent for the U.S. Bureau of Investigations (the former name of the FBI) attended one of Calvin
Goddard’s training programs in Chicago. When he returned to the Bureau of Investigations,
Appel introduced the “Scientific Investigation” into the FBI. His vision for a criminological research lab for the FBI was approved by J. Edgar Hoover and thus Appeal created the U.S.
Bureau of Investigation’s national crime lab which is the world’s largest forensic lab. August
Vollmer (1876 - 1955): Was a leading figure in the development of the field of criminal justice in the United States in the early 20th century. Vollmer revolutionized policing in the use of
“criminal investigations.” He insisted that scientific detection methods such as blood, fiber and soil analysis be implemented into criminal investigations. He created the oldest crime lab in Los
Angeles Police Department, in 1923. Today, crime scene investigations has blossomed into one of the most interesting, demanding and most needed element of the criminal justice system. Law Enforcement agencies all around the nation have a crime scene department. With the exception of some