Forensic Science
The application of scientific knowledge to questions of civil and criminal law.
Alphonse Bertillon
devised the first scientific system of personal identification in 1879.
Francis Galton
conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification
Leone Lattes
developed a procedure to determine blood type from dried bloodstains.
Calvin Goddard
used a comparison microscope to determine if a particular gun fired a bullet
Albert Osborn
developed the fundamental principles of document examination.
Hans Gross
wrote the first treatise describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation.
Edmond Locard
incorporared Gross' principles within a workable crime laboratory.
Crime Lab Physical Science Unit
incorporates the principles of chemistry, physics, and geology to identify and compare physical evidence.
Crime Lab Biology Unit
applies the knowledge of biological sciences in order to investigate blood samples, body fluids, hair, and fiber samples.
Crime Lab Firearms Unit
investigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition
Crime Lab Document Examination Unit
provides the skills needed for handwriting analysis and other questioned-document issues.
Crime Lab Photography Unit
applies specialized photographic techniques for recording and examining physical evidence.
Crime Lab Toxicology Unit
examines body fluids and organs for the presence of drugs and poisons.
Crime Lab Latent Fingerprint Unit
processes and examines evidence for latent fingerprints.
Crime Lab Polygraph Unit
conducts polygraph or lie detector tests.
Crime Lab Voiceprint Analysis Unit
attempts to tie a recorded voice to a particular suspect.
Crime Lab CSI Unit
dispatches specially trained personnel to the crime scene to collect and preserve physical evidence.
Forensic Psychiatry
is an area in which the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings is examined.
Forensic Odontology
involves using teeth to provide information about the identification of victims when a body is left in an unrecognizable state. Also investigates bite marks.
Forensic Engineering
is concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and causes and origins of fires or explosions.
Forensic Computer & Digital Analysis
involves the examination of digital evidence.
Frye v. United States
The Frye v. United States decision set guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence into the courtroom.
To meet the Frye standard, the evidence in question must be "generally accepted" by the scientific community.
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc
However, in the 1993 case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court asserted that the Frye standard is not an absolute prerequisite to the admissibility of scientific evidence.
Trial judges were said to be ultimately responsib
Coppolino v. State
The case of Coppolino v. State5 (examined more closely in the following case study) exemplifies the flexibility and wide discretion that the Daubert ruling, 25 years later, apparently gave to trial judges in matters of scientific inquiry. The issue at que
Expert Witness
is called on to evaluate evidence based on specialized training and experience that the court lacks the expertise to do.
The expert will then express an opinion as to the significance of the findings.