1. MS. WOHLFERT Introduction to Forensic Science

2. What is Forensic Science? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_58XsN6XJW Q

3. What is Forensics?? In its broadest definition, forensic science is the application of science to criminal and civil laws. The goal of this class is to show how science plays a crucial role in criminal justice Forensic science owes its origins to individuals such as Bertillon, Galton, Lattes, Goddard, Osborn, and Locard, who developed the principles and techniques needed to identify or compare physical evidence.

4. History Roots reach back to the third century Early Developments  Third century China, a report Yi Yu Ji reported how a coroner solved a murder case  Woman suspected of killing her husband and burning the body  This type of forensic ‘science’ was not heavily practiced that early

5. History Twentieth-Century Breakthroughs  Edmond Locard pioneered the crime lab Locard’s Exchange Principle—states that when a criminal comes in contact with an object or person, a cross- transfer of evidence occurs.

6. The Crime Lab Crime labs are facilities specifically dedicated to forensic analysis of criminal evidence

7. The Crime Lab History of Crime Labs in the United States  The oldest forensic lab in the US is with the LAPD created in 1923  In 1932 the FBI organized a national laboratory offering forensic services  This lab is now the largest in the world performing over a million examinations a year

8. The Crime Lab

9. There has been a large increase in the number of crime labs over the last 40-50 years. Why do you think that is?

10. The Crime Lab Why have we seen growth in crime labs?  Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s forced police to be MORE secure with their evidence  Modern technology has provided forensic science the tools it needed to grow and be more credible  Also there has been an increase in crime rates  Drug-abuse increasing  DNA profiling technology increasing

11. The Crime Lab  There are 4 major federal crime laboratories  The FBI Lab mentioned earlier  The DEA labs focusing on drug seized in violation of federal laws

12. The Crime Lab  There are 4 major federal crime laboratories  The BATFE or Department of Justice analyze alcohol, firearms, and tobacco regulations and laws US Postal Inspection Service- criminal investigations with mail

13. The Crime Lab Services of the Crime Lab  There is wide variation due to  Variations in local laws  Different capabilities and functions of the organization for which the lab is attached  Budgetary and staffing limits  Many crime labs solely process drug specimens