Browse Courses My Classes. Sign In Subscribe Course Catalog. A Brief History of Forensic Investigation. Despite common misconceptions, forensic investigation has been practiced, in one form or another, for thousands of years. Before the discovery and impact of DNA in the early s, the advent of fingerprinting in the early s and even before photographs were used in the late s to capture images of killers on a victim's eyeballs, as was the case during the investigation of the world's first documented serial killer, Jack the Ripper, criminal investigators were using the science of forensics to solve crimes.
Professor Mathieu Orfila, an expert of medicinal chemistry at the University of Paris, became known as the Father of Toxicology in after he published Traite de Poisons. He is the first to be credited with attempting to use a microscope to assess blood and semen stains. In a paper published in the scientific journal called Nature , Faulds wrote that bloody fingerprints or impressions on a variety of surfaces could be used for "the scientific identification of criminals.
Unfortunately, both men tried, without success to get police forces around the world interested in such discoveries. It wasn't until later discoveries by Sir Francis Galton that police authorities around the world recognized that three major fingerprint identification patterns could be broken down into eight different types: Plain Arch.
Tented Arch. Central Pocket Loop. Interested in learning more? Why not take an online Crime Scene Investigation course? Around the world, advancements in document authentication, forgery and ballistic methods were expanded and developed.
Chemical tests were developed to further advance studies of biological fluids and blood types. By , a Californian was the first to use a vacuum to collect trace evidence and manufacturing data regarding various weapons was catalogued.
At the same time, the United States government and its territories developed regulatory standards and guidelines for the collection and handling of DNA evidence, and by , the creation of the world's first national DNA database was created in England. Conclusion Today, a wealth of technological advancements has made forensic investigation a lot easier than it used to be. Online Class : Legal Terminology Online Class : Mediation Online Class : Criminology Basics.
Online Class : Healthy Relationships. Online Class : Confidence Building. Online Class : Creative Thinking. Online Class : Assertiveness Training.
Online Class : Critical Thinking. Online Class : Listening Skills Fingerprint analysis resulted from the groundbreaking theory established by Henry Faulds and William James Herschel from the uniqueness of fingerprints. This study received a huge support from experts all over the world and was later accepted as a crucial evidence in the legal system. The ancient Chinese used fingerprint analysis for the identification of business documents.
Sir Francis Galton started the first system for classifying fingerprints. Sir Edward Henry, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police of London, used the direction, flow, pattern and other characteristics in fingerprints to develop his own system of fingerprint analysis.
Now, the Henry Classification System is the standard for criminal fingerprint analysis techniques worldwide. Two famous examples of the use of forensic science in the 18 th and 19 th century are worth a mention. These clearly showcase the use of logic and scientific procedures by forensic investigators during that period for criminal investigations.
The crucial clue which was a turning point in this investigation was the perfect matching of a pistol wad. The second was the trial and conviction of Warwick , a farm laborer, in Police retrieved and analyzed the footprints and cloth impressions that he left on the damp soil of the crime scene.
A matching of the impressions in the earth near the pool where a young maidservant was drowned confirmed his role in her murder. Gradually in the s, bullet examination became more precise when American physician Calvin Goddard created the comparison microscope. This helped in drawing a crucial relationship between bullets and the shell casings from which they were fired. Later, in the s, scientists at the Aerospace Corporation, California, developed the method of detecting gunshot residue using scanning electron microscopes.
Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, first developed a chemical test to detect arsenic in corpses in His work was further elaborated by a German chemist, Valentin Ross , in to detect poison in stomach walls. In , Scottish chemist, James Marsh , did the first application of this forensic science technique. This test was actually used successfully in a murder trial at that time. Almost a century later, scientist Karl Landsteiner received the Nobel Prize in for his work on blood groups.
He was the first one to classify human blood into various groups. This later went on to give significant leads during criminal investigations from the examination of blood. The mids saw the development of other tests to examine saliva, semen, sweat and other body fluids. In the early 20 th century, there was a boom in the development of newer forensic techniques for examining the evidence.
This lead to law enforcement agencies realizing the requirement of special forensic investigator teams for evidence gathering and analysis. A professor at the University of Lyons — Edmond Locard, began the first police crime laboratory in France This is extensively used by a forensic investigator in crime scene investigations. Conversely, he also established that everyone and everything takes some piece of the crime scene with them when they leave.
To this day, forensic science has witnessed a number of significant advancements. From high-tech tools to DNA profiling and cyber forensics, forensic investigations are a lot easier now than it ever was. DNA profiling has, in fact, lead to the successful identification of numerous criminals across the globe.
Forensic Science has a rich but undervalued history and a richer potential ahead. Advancements in forensic science are an ongoing process and each day introduces a new technique into the forensic world. Despite all developments, any investigation still requires a human brain to decipher and rationalize the events of an incident scene. A forensic investigator, at present, has the benefit of numerous tools and medical and scientific advancements at their disposal.
In fact, a trained crime scene investigator bears the responsibility of correctly analyzing, retrieving and collecting evidence from a crime scene by leveraging every available scientific and technological advancement.
Nevertheless, one must not forget the human factor that comes into play without which an investigation is incomplete. It requires the acumen of the crime scene investigator and law enforcement personnel to understand the motive before a trial. Anyone can learn for free on OpenLearn, but signing-up will give you access to your personal learning profile and record of achievements that you earn while you study.
Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available. The first computer forensic technicians were law enforcement officers who were also computer hobbyists. A major change took place at the beginning of the s. Investigators and technical support operatives within the UK law enforcement agencies, along with outside specialists, realised that digital forensics as with other fields required standard techniques, protocols and procedures.
Apart from informal guidelines, these formalisms did not exist but urgently needed to be developed. A series of conferences, initially convened by the Serious Fraud Office and the Inland Revenue, took place at the Police Staff College at Bramshill in and , during which the modern British digital forensic methodology was established.
As the science of digital forensics has matured these guidelines and best practice have slowly evolved into standards and the field has come under the auspices of the Forensic Science Regulator [ Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. Hide tip ] in the UK. Search the internet for no more than five minutes for the series of ISO standards relating to digital forensics and list each of the standards you think applies.
You may have found the ISO information security website in your search results. This lists various standards relevant to digital forensics some of which are draft:. You may have looked at the ISO website for these too. British Standards has a standards development site which you can search and has a link to their Draft standards review site. Read Section 21 and say why a digital forensic scientist might have difficulty complying with this item. Making the decision to study can be a big step, which is why you'll want a trusted University.
0コメント