Modern crime fighting is now the convergence of law enforcement, the judicial system, and science. The relatively new field of forensic science has radically changed the way law enforcement officials build their cases. Subsequently, it has changed the way policing in general and investigations specifically are conducted. Being caught red-handed need not mean at the scene or even hours later. In some cases, forensic science has solved cases decades after the fact.
As the modern city began to take root, so too did the necessity of policing it citizens. Soon, policing began to form its own set of codices regarding how it was conducted. During the late 1700s, the field we now associate with forensic science began to emerge from various scientific endeavors that evolved over the previous centuries. With Fodere’s publishing of “A Treatise on Forensic Medicine and Public Health” the correlation between how people die and why the die took root.
When Carl Wilhelm Scheele pioneered a means of detecting arsenous oxide in corpses in 1876, the path was set towards establishing a means of verifying a cause of death in some corpses. In 1816, a laborer was successfully tried and convicted for the murder of a maidservant in Warwick, England. The conviction hinged on matching the impression of corduroy fabric near the pond where the maidservant was drowned to the breeches of the laborer who was working nearby.
In her article for the New York Post, Katherine Ramsland states: “No one set standards or controls [for fingerprint matches]. In fact, more than 100 years after the first crime was solved with a fingerprint, no one completely has proved even the basic assumption: that everyone’s fingerprint is unique.” Indeed, she adds: “Technically, forensic science is the application of scientific perspectives and methods to the investigative and legal process. However, it’s become an umbrella term that encompasses disciplines of skill rather than real science.” Although forensic science is considered a legitimate branch of law enforcement, there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the veracity of the forensic method.
The average salary for forensic scientist employed by governmental agencies is about $ 50,000 for new graduates. A career tracking down the misdeeds of others is just a mouse click or phone call away. Regardless, a career in forensic science has become fashionable and lucrative. There is a substantial backlog of forensic cases across the country and the demand for qualified applicants is high.