Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Edmond Locard: The Pioneer of Fingerprinting





Dr. Edmond Locard was a french criminalist who sometimes was even referred to as the "Sherlock Holmes of France." He had a niche in comparing science to law through his time as an expert. He went on to publish over 40 pieces of literature. During the first World War, Locard worked as a medical examiner for the French Secret Service examining the damages and stains of soldier's uniforms in order to determine the location and cause of deaths. In 1910, he was offered the opportunity to create his first evidence room by Lyon Police which later would be recognized as a laboratory. Dactylography is a study that deals with fingerprints.

He began by studying the pores and impressions of fingerprints. He states that 12 specific points on the fingerprints that can be matched would be enough to match an unknown print to a known print. In 1929, Locard then helped create the International Academy of Criminalistics in Switzerland. This building didn't last long due to the destruction that came with World War 2.

The 12 specific points are the dots, ridges, bifurcations, etc. mentioned in previous blogs. These can all prove to be unique as each person may have dots in different location of the print and lines may start or terminate at different points of the print. This theory shows that no 12 specified locations of a print are similar. Locard helped pioneer a new era of fingerprint determination and identification. People have continued to build off his theory as new fingerprint identification centers have opened up around the world which all use the 12 point indicator that Locard founded but didn't necessarily perfect. The IAFIS uses a similar system as they identify particular points of the fingerprint and keep a database for all fingerprints ever recorded which helps pinpoint suspects much quicker than finding a suspect and fingerprinting them because they are suspicious. This system will locate the suspect anywhere across the country.

Locard was a very famous scientist that may have been best known for Locard Exchange Principle theory which explains how trace evidence can be transferred through contact with an object. This can help determine how a small red fiber from a shirt ended up on a chair in a local restaurant. This fiber alone can help find the suspect.

Take a step back and think about it. You may be sitting down while reading this article in a chair or a couch. Believe it or not, your pants are having fibers fall of them and are resting on the seat. These fibers are not very visible but will remain there for a very long time unless vacuumed. Investigators are so easily able to retrieve this evidence by using tweezers or in some cases a vacuum which is effective but not necessarily the most effective method available. When a vacuum is used, it may be hard to sift through dirt and other particulates to pinpoint the fiber needed. Tweezers are effective when found at the scene of the crime because no fingerprints are involved in lifting the sample.

References:
Forensic Science Central. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://forensicsciencecentral.co.uk/edmondlocarm 

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10 comments:

  1. After reading your blog post about Edmond Locard I have I am amazed by his many achievements as the pioneer of fingerprinting. I can only imagine how carefully he must have studied every fingerprint countless time until he could start to begin to see differences in 12 different points! I didn't even know that there could be 12 different points on a single finger considering the fact the size of a finger isn't all that large. If Locard was still around I wonder how much more he could have discovered about fingerprinting with the added factor of technology we have today.

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  2. Amazing post, learning about Edmond Locard's achievements, being so vast, in such a critical field is so enlightening. You did discuss the 12 different critical points used to define each identical fingerprint in your pervious posts, but to learn that Locard figured out theses 12 points, and was able to come to the conclusion that one could match an unknown print to a known print is one of the more scholarly points in history. When law enforcement started to apply this knowledge the world changed. Now biometrics is creating new industries for internet of things, and other applications for big companies.

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  3. The "Sherlock of France?" that seems to go a little far. I guess when a simple idea comes to a time where technology isnt that advanced then something as simple as a fingerprint could be seen as sorcery. The fact that he studied in a building that was destroyed in World War II is kind of fascinating. Too bad he couldnt use his fingerprint technology to find out who did it. He does come up with a lot of innovative techniques for investigation, such as the fibers from ones pants or clothes. Seems like a very influential man in the field of forensics.

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  4. Hey Vijay, wow Edmond Locard seems like he has had a huge impact on forensic science. I have never heard of him before so it was really cool reading about him. It also seems really cool how the fibers from my clothing can be used in finding out where I have been but how exactly does this work? I guess you would need the actual piece of clothing and then a fiber from the clothing so you can find a match but I don’t know how reliable this would be for solving a huge crime.

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  5. Hi, Vijay, I like the Sherlock Holmes reference. I also like Dr. Locard’s mustache. I had previously never heard of him, but it is crazy to imagine this guy did all these things without the sophisticated technology we have today. We look back and think it is astounding, but to him it was just his way of doing things and I am sure it was considered sophisticated for its time. I just can’t fathom how he found these 12 points on the fingerprint without the thigns we have today. I like how at the end you made the reader think. You also made me vacuum. Great read man, your posts just get more and more interesting.

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  6. You have a pretty good blog hear about Edmond Locard. I actually found some interesting information from this about him and doing some googling to get additional information. He definitely has an awesome resume and fits your title as the pioneer of finger print technology. He has definitely helped advance the technology used for today’s fingerprint determination and identification even though he was not able to use the technology and was still able to find the key twelve points of a fingerprint.

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  7. What an interesting and very enjoyable article Vijay! I can honestly say that Edmond Locard is one of the most influential people ever. Without any modern technology he basically created a new art form of fingerprinting. I had no idea about the 12 point system, however, what a fascinating discovery it was. Just think about how many criminal cases that went unresolved before his time. Also think about how many criminals Locard brought to justice for so many future generations. I really liked the format and outline of your blog, very enjoyable and informative to read. Keep up the great blogging!

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  8. Vijay,

    This was a very unique article about a very unique man. It was so interesting to learn more about Edmond Locard. I was hooked when I read the words "french Sherlock Holmes". It was fascinating to read about his contributions to modern forensic science. I know now all the law enforcement officials around the world probably owe a lot to this man and you've done a great job with telling his story. You also kept the facts very concise and organized but also very entertaining. Looking forward to reading more!

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  9. Vijay,

    Your posts on fingerprints are always thought invoking. I enjoyed them all so far and have learned a lot. Locard was indeed the Sherlock of France. He was a genius when it came to criminal investigation. So all of the fingerprint technology today is influenced by this man here? It is not a stretch at all to call this man Sherlock with he Locard Exchange Principle. It is crazy to believe that from a single fiber you can be traced. This goes to show that in today's world technology has advanced so far. Looks like I won't be committing any crimes.

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  10. Wow, this post is very interesting. Locard seems like a genius if he is able to come up with all of that prior to World War I without computers or anything relatively close to the fingerprint technology we have today. And only 12 points are needed to make a match? If I wasn't already deterred from committing a crime, I definitely am now! If he was able to do this then, our technology has seriously advanced and must really make finding criminals seem so easy! I really wonder how he was able to do something this advanced without current technology. Did your references give you this information? It might have been cool to cover in your post as well.

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