-
Use Cases
-
Resources
-
Pricing
1796 - 1874
% complete
Statistician Adolphe Quetelet claims that nature never repeats (what he said was that "nature exhibits an infinite variety of forms" via Thornton 1986)), something which found its way into Bertillon's work but also low-key underpins most of forensic science (Saks & Koehler 2008)
1812 - 1827
% complete
Eugene Vidocq founded the Surete, and headed it until 1827. They pioneered shoeprint and ballistics analysis (Beavan 2002)
1813
% complete
First poison treatise (though ancient people were poisoning each other all the time). Considered father of forensic toxicology
1869
% complete
The Habitual Criminals Act was made with an aim to imprison 'recidivists'. In large cities, it was no longer possible for policemen to recognise everyone and fake names for often given: the only method of identification was policeman memory (which counted as testimony) and pretending to recognise criminals so that they gave themselves up as recidivists (Beavan 2002)
1875 - 1905
% complete
As well as genuine work around the time of Bertillon et al., there was some 'quack' detectives trying to claim all sorts of things e.g. one detective claiming that he could smell criminals (Beavan 2002)
1891
% complete
'Founder of criminalistics' publishes Criminal Investigations. May have inspired Conan Doyle, who had mutual respect with Bertillon & Locard
1904 - 1930
% complete
Published his first book in 1904, founded his crime lab in 1910, published on dust in 1930. Every contact leaves a trace
1905
% complete
Formation of FBI
1906
% complete
Conan Doyle dips into the real world, helps exonerate George Edalji
1920
% complete
Father of document analysis, first to attempt the application of science to determine document forgery (ASQDE 2017)
1923
% complete
Related to polygraph analysis, and how it was bollocks. Set the standard pre-Daubert standard for forensic analysis (Saks & Koehler 2005)
1924 - 1972
% complete
J Edgar Hoover's tenure as Director of the FBI. Instrumental in the evolution of forensic science
1926
% complete
Calvin Goddard (the father of ballistics analysis) writes on the establishment of his Bureau of Forensic Ballistics in 1925. They experimented in order to produce empirical data and reduce subjectivity, with a belief in every gun being unique
1948
% complete
Paul Kirk founded School of Criminology at Berkeley, still leading criminalistics in US
1993 - 1999
% complete
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993)
General Electric Co. v. Joiner (1997)
Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael (1999)
Three cases that shaped the new Daubert standard of expert testimony
Present
% complete
1788
% complete
J.C.A. Meyers (a chemist) noted differences between fingerprints, but with no suggestion of forensic application (Beavan 2002)
1823
% complete
Jan Purkinje made a basic classification system for fingerprints in 1823
1858
% complete
William Herschel begins experiments with fingerprints in India: had illiterate locals sign with their prints as a scare tactic, due to an inability of forgery (Beavan 2002)
1878 - 1880
% complete
Henry Faulds looks at marks on old Chinese Japanese pottery and publishes a Nature article on differences between them in 1880 with exactly 0 fanfare, apart from a reply from Herschel also in 1880 (Beavan 2002)
1888 - 1894
% complete
Working with Herschel, introduces Scotland Yard to fingerprints with his classifications, after rebutting Fauld's complex classification system in 1887.
Galton pushes further by publishing the seminal treatise Fingerprints in 1892.
Faulds wrote about his idea being stolen in 1894, which Herschel denies the same year - he only admitted it in 1909 (Beavan 2002)
1891
% complete
First use of Galton's fingerprint identification system in South America, which he expanded. 'Vutetichism' later spread worldwide as a classification (Ferrari & Galeano 2016)
1901
% complete
Sir Edward Henry is head of Scotland Yard, replaces anthropometry with just fingerprints after using them while governing in India with a refined version of Galton's system (Beavan 2002)
1902
% complete
Harry Jackson becomes the first man convicted by the use of fingerprint evidence. Faulds tries to defend him out of spite (Beavan 2002)
1963
% complete
Trauring (1963) marked the first discussion of automated fingerprint recognition (Jain et al. 2016).
1977
% complete
Implementing of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
1999
% complete
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System updates the AFIS
2004
% complete
Brandon Mayfield got 'matched' to fingerprints related to the 2004 Madrid bombings by 3 seasoned FBI analysts. They were wrong (Meuwly 2006)
2011 - Present
% complete
FBI's Next Generation Identification System replaces IAFIS: accuracy jumps from 92% - 99.6% (FBI 2017)
2011 - Present
% complete
Repository for Individuals of Special Concern (RISC) allowing rapid searching of immigration violators, sex offenders, known (and suspected) terrorists using a mobile fingerprint device that has a response time under 10 seconds (FBI 2017)
1795 - 1805
% complete
Around the turn of the 19th Century, Russians identified those they had banished by branding/tattooing their cheek or brow (Roth 2014)
1832
% complete
They stopped branding in France, leaving no real identifying marks for recidivists (Sengoopta 2003)
1834
% complete
Use of substitute criminals (ding zui) noted in China by European scholars. The top 0.1% still use it today, with a handful of corruption (Sant 2012)
1874
% complete
End of the East India Trading Company, which used to tattoo criminals. Only record of criminal recidivists was in unstandardised photographs and a poorly organised record of distinctive marks by name, which anyone could fake (Sengoopta 2003)
1883
% complete
Alphonse Bertillon develops anthropometry (Beavan 2002). It involved 11 measurements of bony areas of the body, coming from an obsession with measurement in anthropology, as well as standardised recording of notable marks and a 'mug shot' (Sengoopta 2003).
1889
% complete
Discussed anthropometry by discussing 'units of least discernible difference', throws shade at the theory (not all 11 measurements were independent) but says its good in practice. Mentions the possibility of using irises/faces for identification.
1891
% complete
Used anthropometry to try and determine caste, as he believed Indians (and particularly Bengalis) to be dodgy. Dark side to this work, also evidenced in Galton's effort to prove difference between class by anthropometry/studies into hereditary fingerprints (Sengoopta 2003)
1902
% complete
Gets a nod in Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) in a positive manner as a smart sort of bloke (Sengoopta 2003)
1903
% complete
Case of two Will Wests with near-identical features and anthropometric measurements showed up anthropometry, lost favour (Beavan 2002)
1989
% complete
First iris camera developed (Jain et al. 2016)
2011 - Present
% complete
NGI begins its facial recognition work. It slyly added DMV photos from over 24 states to its database along with mugshots. In 2013 there was a 20% error (though it wasn't used very much) so people were pissed (Markowitz 2016)
September 2013 - Present
% complete
FBI implemented start of Iris Pilot (IP) project to evaluate iris recognition technology
2015
% complete
High-profile case for the new NGI system, in which Lynn Cozart was caught by recognition of his face from a driver's license against a 19 year-old mug shot (Markowitz 2016)
1953
% complete
Watson & Crick publish on the double helix structure of DNA, promptly shafting Rosalind Franklin whose work it was
1985
% complete
Sir Alec Jeffreys publishes on DNA profiling
1986 - 1987
% complete
Richard Buckland was the first man to be exonerated using DNA analysis. In the same case, DNA would convict Colin Pitchfork for a double murder (BBC 2009)
1987
% complete
Challenging of DNA evidence that led to need for standards
1992
% complete