The Internet: The Crime Solver's Technological Watson

Forensic Science is defined as the application of science and scientific methods to civil and criminal laws. Forensic Science in itself is an incredibly broad topic. This can apply to many careers, such as forensic accounting. In this paper, I will be discussing forensic science and crime scene investigation as it relates to law enforcement. With advancements in technology, forensic science and crime scene investigations are not only intriguing, but also a vital, ever changing and growing career field.

Today, technology has affected our global surroundings in a number of ways. Technology has created a more advanced society and economy. We use technology in every aspect of life today. New innovations and technology helps create a safer atmosphere and reduces the rate of crime. Technology is the usage and knowledge of techniques or is systems of these things. Usage of technology in the criminal justice system is not new but more apparent today. Technology in criminal justice will continue to challenge us to think about how we turn information into knowledge. Due to new technology, criminal investigations are able to maintain and improve their processes. Forensic science, DNA, other

Specialized cameras now allow crime techs to capture entire crime scenes on video for later reference. Therefore, GPS devices and forensic science have also been improved by technology and have enhanced law enforcement organizations’ ability to function.

In July of 1999 the fingerprint was introduced into the IAFIS. The FBI had so many fingerprints on file that in order to convict someone it would take years for them to be able to match a fingerprint. This database created a way for it to be completed faster and more efficient. The data is taken first with directly indefinable characteristics (name, social security, address, telephone number, email, biometric identifiers, photography) and then entered in the with non-indefinable characteristics (gender, race, birthdate, license number) to create personal file. The database is maintained by the FBI to keep all of the fingerprints in line. But, many agencies (federal, state, local and foreign) can use the database on order to make sure a suspect isn't linked with any other crimes and to identify the

scientific law enforcement in his creation of a mass fingerprint file in 1926 and the

For over a century fingerprints have been one of the most used tools of forensic science. Fingerprints have been used to identify criminals of small crimes

The use of fingerprinting as a means of identification was born out of the need of law enforcement officials to have permanent records that could determine if a convict had been previously arrested or imprisoned. Before the advent of fingerprinting, law enforcement used a number of different methods to try to accomplish this. Ancient civilizations would tattoo or physically maim prisoners. In more recent times, daguerreotyping (that is, photographing) was used, but proved to be less than reliable, because people had the ability to dramatically alter their appearance (Skopitz). As a result, this method too, became obsolete with the discovery of fingerprinting, an absolutely infallible

I started out simply watching television shows like Castle and Criminal Minds. With such dramatized shows, it wasn’t long before I took an interest in the T.V.’s version of the Criminal Justice field. As I’ve grown older and more mature, I’ve been able to delve into the reality of crime solving. Anytime I’m interested in learning more about the technology we’ve developed to help solve cases I turn towards my new favorite television show; Forensic Files. Although the crime reenactments may be dramatized to pull in viewers, the cases are real, those involved with the case are real, and the means used to close the cases are real. Personally, the only downfall I find about the show is its age; the series having aired from 1996 to 2011. A lot of new technology has been developed since then like flying police drones and other robotic devices. Due to this, I turned to a recently aired television show called American Ripper which focuses on trying to prove whether or not the first major serial killer in the U.S., H.H. Holmes, was the notorious ‘Jack the Ripper’ The show re-opened multiple age old cases and used modern technology to prove the possibility of H.H. Holmes being ‘Jack the Ripper’. By watching the show I learned about the usage of testing y-chromosome DNA, the advantages of using underwater vehicles, and even how far our 3D facial reconstruction has come. I obviously still have a lot to learn about the Criminal Justice field and am anxiously waiting to begin my true journey into crime

Topic POV: The point of writing this essay is to discuss how a forensic scientist help assist the police in solving a crime.

Technology has enhanced within the years into solving complex crimes using efficient techniques or tools conducted by a special task force to protect against possible undesirable events. For example, cyber-crime is through the use of computers and information systems that potentially access another’s computer without authorization that may have a corruptive effect, especially on the mind downloading illegal material used for personal gain emphasizing necessity. However, the technological communication efforts are databases built to conduct special task force assessments to stay current with the ongoing criminal activities that develop the usage of the technological information systems without authorization. These databases affect the communicating of information in a way to move faster and efficiently to conduct the arrest of a suspect, to obtain warrants, and to locate a criminal. In addition, the databases provide factual information to conduct further investigations and apprehensions helping the worldwide justice system to become more effective giving those faster results by means of communicating through the new innovative database technological systems. The cyber-crime unit will conduct an extensive investigation through the usage of the new

Fingerprints have been used as a biometric measure for more than a century. It is one of the most well known and highly publicized techniques used to identify suspects in a crime. The fingerprint techniques identification has advanced from ink pads and paper to electronic recognition. Most techniques have become a wide accepted and reliable forms of biometrics. With the advancement in computer technology and chemical reagents, a fingerprint can be obtained from a burned corpse or a decomposed body. In the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s case, the fingerprint from gathered from the crime scene could only be verified by the ridges characteristic pattern of the finger. In the 1960's, The National Crime Information Center was a computerized filing

In this current generation, technology is steadily becoming a major asset to our future in a wide range of areas, and has been embedded in our lives currently to the point of being close to a necessity. In Criminal Justice, the use of technology has proven to be of tremendous help in many areas of the field. The incorporation of the computer systems in criminal justice tremendously has improved the general communication between agencies as the new methods of transferring information among departments. In addition, it has become much more resourceful and efficient in that it is much simpler to acquire the data at a more rapid rate, hence, speeding up the time it takes to prevent or solve crimes. The intent of this paper is to deliver an

Fingerprinting is used for many things, such as a robbery, or at a crime scene. Fingerprints were first discovered in 1870 by Alphonse Bertillon, who was a French anthropologist. In 1892, Juan Vucetich had made the first criminal report using a fingerprint. In 1905 America used fingerprints for identification. When America started using fingerprints for identification they had to match the fingerprints manually when needed. When technology was able to enter fingerprints, and match them with anonymous ones, it helped identification immensely.

In a world where technology is increasingly becoming the way of life, it was only a matter of time before crime was no longer just in the streets but happening online as well. Criminals now get a new approach to carry out their crimes with the use of computers. Since technology is more like a murder mystery than catching the bad guy in the act, a new discipline of forensics needed to be put into place. This is known as computer forensics. Forensic science is any science used for the purpose of law. In the case of computer forensics it is “the discipline that combines elements of law and computer science to collect and analyze data from computer systems, networks, wireless communications, and storage devices in a way that is admissible as evidence in a court of law” (U.S. Cert, 2008). Meaning if you do something illegal on the Internet it can be found.

Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.