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200 BCE
Quintilian
Quintilian was a teacher and author in Rome around 2nd Century AD. According to legend he was the first person to identify a bloody handprint. -
John Toms
In Lancaster, England John Toms was convicted of murder because there was a torn edge of newspaper on a pistol used in the murder. The edge of newspaper matched the newspaper in John Toms pocket. -
Henry Goddard
Henry Goddard was one of Scotland Yard's original bow street Runners (London) and he was the first to use bullet comparison to solve a murder. -
James Marsh
James Marsh was a chemist in Woolwich, England and created the Marsh Test to detect arsenic after a murder using arsenic. -
New York Police Dept.
The NYPD is one of the oldest police departments and the largest in the United States. The NYPD has one of the most extensive and advanced lab resources. -
Alexander Lacassagne
Alexander Lacassagne was a French pathologist in Lyon, France who was the pioneer of forensic ballistics and the medical examiner field of study. -
Henry Faulds
He was a Scottish doctor and missionary who pioneered the use of fingerprint identification. He did this while he was on a trip in Japan, his discoveries weren't recognized until after his life time. -
Will West
There were two men who were not related in any way, and law enforcement quickly realized they needed a new way to identify them. This case in Kansas made fingerprinting the standard method for identifying criminals -
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is based in Washington, D.C was founded due to the growing need for a system to keep people out of crime. The crime rate was growing with the population therefore increasing the need for order. -
Los Angeles
The Los Angeles police department is the biggest police department in California and it has been involved in solving some of America's biggest cases. They help keep the LA area safe. -
AFIS & IAFIS
AFIS is the automatic fingerprint identification system and it's used for sorting, comparing, and exchanging digital fingerprint data. AFIS was created was created in 1924. The IAFIS is the integrated automated fingerprint identification system. This was developed in 1999 by the FBI, and is a faster, more modern than AFIS. -
Walter Specht
At the University Institute for Legal Medicine and Scientific Criminalistics, Walter Specht introduced the use of luminol as a presumptive test for blood at crime scenes. This helped visible blood not be wiped away from crime scenes therefore preserving evidence. -
Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Anthropology is a part of physical anthropology that involves applying skeletal analysis and techniques in archeology to solving criminal cases. Forensic anthropologists work with the FBI to help identify victims and solve cases. -
American Academy of Forensic Science
In Colorado Spring the AAFS is a society for forensic science professionals. The goal of the AAFS is to promote professionalism, integrity, competency, education, foster research, improve practice, and encourage collaboration in forensic science practices. -
DNA evidence 1st used in a crime
In Orange County, Florida was he first DNA evidence used in the U.S. when the circuit court convicted Tommy Lee Andrews of rape after his DNA matched the DNA of blood samples found on the first victims body. -
Bells Lab New Jersey
Willard Boyle and George Smith, Bells Lab engineers, invented Bell Labs and kept it running until 1984 in New Jersey. The goal of the lab was for industrial research and scientific development. -
CODIS
CODIS is an acronym for the Combined DNA Index System and it's the generic term used to describe the FBI's program of support for criminal justice DNA databases and the software for the databases. -
Innocence Project
At the Cardozo School of Law, Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck founded The Innocence Project. The project exonerates the wrongfully convicted through DNA testing and reforms in the criminal justice system to help prevent injustice in the future. -
IBIS
The Integrated Ballistics Identification System was purchased from Forensic Technology in Montreal, Canada. The IBIS technology let professionals use digital computer images of ballistic evidence and assisted crime laboratories with a growing number of fire arm-related crimes. -
Facial recognition software
Facial Recognition Software has gained popularity in the 2000's by allowing software to scan peoples faces and test for a criminal background, and make cross checking easier. In 2009 the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office created a forensic database used to keep track of of photo archives from police officers cameras.
