PRESENTATION OUTLINE
1. In 1835, Scotland Yard, London's detective force, was the first to use bullet comparison to catch a murderer. This application is especially useful to modern forensics because police departments and detectives all over the world continue to use bullet comparison to determine the type of gun that was used in a homicide or other crime involving firearms, thus enabling them to track down the criminal who previously owned the specific type of gun or guns and used it at the scene of the crime.
2. In 1836, the first sophisticated gun, a revolver, was made. Sophisticated guns such as the revolver are valuable to modern forensics because most homicides involve the use of a one and it makes it relatively easy for detectives and police departments to determine the type of firearm used at a crime scene by matching the striations of a bullet to its mould. On the other hand, it also enabled murderers to shoot someone multiple times in a short time span without having to reload or use multiple murder weapons.
3. In 1896, Edward Henry developed the prototype fingerprint classification system that is now used in Europe and the United States. The fingerprint classification system is imperative to modern forensics because it enables investigators to determine the perpetrators of a crime based on DNA evidence from their fingerprints. It gave and still gives cops the upper hand when it comes to catching criminals and making people think twice before committing a crime.
4. In 1937, Walter Specht discovered that chemical luminol glows in contact with latent blood. Like the fingerprint classification system, it gives police and detectives the edge against criminals and discourages people from committing crimes. If a criminal makes a mistake like accidentally cutting themselves, the criminal’s blood will splatter and thus give their identity away through blood sampling.
5. In 1954, the breathalyzer was invented by R.F. Borkenstein of the Indiana State Police. This is critical to modern forensics because police can administer field sobriety tests to anyone they believe is over the 0.08 blood alcohol level and thus is causing an infraction by driving under the influence of alcohol. It magnifies an officer’s chances of catching an offender exponentially.
6. In 1955, De Saram revealed to the public his precise measurements of body temperature decline and its correlation to the time of a person’s death. Although this may not seem as useful as the breathalyzer or chemical luminol, it actually may be more indispensable to modern forensics. This is because it enables police to determine the time of a crime and whether if a person’s alibi checks out or not. In other words, an investigator can determine who was at the crime scene at that time of the incident.
7. In 1957, two Americans by the names of Thomas Mocker and Thomas Stewart uncovered the growth stages of skeletal bones. This contribution to modern forensics most likely coincides with the discovery of the relationship between the decrease in body temperature and time of death. Like the discovery of the of the latter, knowing the growth stages of skeletal bones gives police and private investigators the ability to determine how old a person was when they died and the approximate time period of their death.
8. In 1959, James Watson and Francis Crick identified the DNA double helix. Understanding the istructure of DNA empowers police detectives and private investigators to catch criminals by their blood, hair, saliva, semen, skin, and urine found at the crime scene. Furthermore, this helped to boost the advancement and reliability of the fingerprint classification system.
9. In 1977, the Internet was brought into existence. In the past 30-40 years, the average American has seen firsthand the benefits of technology and everything pales in comparison to the advantages of the Internet. It is a quick and reliable source for police and private investigators to find information about a suspect or individual of interest. Furthermore, it can be used by many institutions and businesses such as malls and restaurants to monitor anomalous traffic that is unknown or secret in nature and identify intrusions.
10. In 1984, Professor Alec Jeffreys revealed that each human has unique DNA, except for identical twins. Like the discovery of the DNA double helix and the implementation of the fingerprint classification system, this finding gave meaning to both of these things because it improved how easily scientists in a DNA testing lab could identify the suspect based on their biological residue.
