Forensic Science - ANSthe application of science to criminal and civil laws
Mathiea Orfila - ANSfather of forensic toxicology
Alphonse Bertillion - ANSdevised the first scientific system of personal identification in 1879
Francis Galton - ANSconducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification
Leone Lattes - ANSdeveloped a procedure to determine blood type from dried bloodstains
Calvin Goddard - ANSused a comparison microscope to determine if a particular gun fired a
bullet
Albert Osborn - ANSdeveloped the fundamental principles of document examination
Walter McCrone - ANSutilized microscopy and other analytical methodologies to examine
evidence
Hans Gross - ANSwrote the first treatise describing the application of scientific principles to the
field of criminal investigation
Edmond Locard - ANSincorporated Gross' principles within a workable crime laboratory
Locard's Exchange Principle - ANSstates that when a criminal comes in contact with an object
or person, a cross-transfer of evidence occurs
The ever increasing number of crime labs is party the result of the following: - ANSSupreme
Court decisions in the 1960s; Accelerated drug abuse; the advent of DNA profiling
Development of crime labs in the US has been characterized by: - ANSrapid growth
accompanied by lack of national and regional planning and coordination
Technical Support provided by crime labs can be assigned to: - ANSPhysical Science; Biology;
Firearms; Document; Photographic
Physical Science Unit - ANSincorporates the principles of chemistry, physics, and geology to
identify and compare physical evidence
Biology Unit - ANSapplies the knowledge of biological sciences in order to investigate blood
samples, body fluids, hair, and fiber samples
, Firearms Unit - ANSinvestigates discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and
ammunition
Document Unit - ANSprovides the skills needed for handwriting analysis and other
questioned-document issues
Photographic Unit - ANSapplies specialized photographic techniques for recording and
examining physical evidence
Toxicology Unit - ANSexamines body fluids and organs for the presence of drugs and poisons
Latent Fingerprint Unit - ANSprocesses and examines evidence for latent fingerprints
Polygraph Unit - ANSconducts polygraph or lie detector tests
Voiceprint Analysis Unit - ANSattempts to tie a recorded voice to a particular suspect
Evidence-Collection Unit - ANSdispatches specially trained personnel to the crime scene to
collect and preserve physical evidence
Scientific Method - ANSformulate a question worthy of investigation; formulate a reasonable
hypothesis to answer the question; test the hypothesis through experimentation; upon validation
of the hypothesis, it becomes suitable as scientific evidence
Forensic Scientist - ANSmust be skilled in applying the principles and techniques of the physical
and natural sciences to the analysis of the many types of evidence that may be recovered
during a criminal investigation
Expert Witness - ANSan individual whom the court determines possesses knowledge relevant
to the trial that is not expected of the average person
Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts - ANSimposed the necessity for the forensic scientist to
appear in court
Frye v. United States - ANSset guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence
into the courtroom; evidence must be "generally accepted" (valid and reliable)
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical Inc. - ANSasserted that the Frye Standard is not an
absolute prerequisite to the admissibility of scientific evidence
Daubert Criteria - ANS1. whether the scientific technique or theory can be (and has been)
tested
2. whether the technique or theory has been subject to peer review and publication