Forensic Science: Laboratories

The History of American Forensic Laboratories

The value of scientific analysis of physical evidence became widely recognized during the early decades of the 20th century. In the United States, the Los Angeles Police Department created the first forensic laboratory in 1923. It was founded by police chief August Vollmer in Berkeley, California, who also created the first academic organization for the study of criminalistics at the University of California at Berkeley in the early 1930s. The Berkeley program gained official accreditation and notoriety in the late 1940s under the direction of renowned criminalist Paul Kirk. In the early 1930s, the national laboratory of the FBI was established to offer forensic science services to law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

The number of crime labs increased significantly through the 1960s, driven by drug-related prosecutions throughout the country. In recent years, the development of forensic DNA technology has significantly contributed to the number and sophistication of modern crime laboratories.

Forensic Laboratory Organization

Although many crime laboratories operate under the jurisdiction of local governments, some state governments also provide forensic services to local agencies. An example of this is California's model of statewide laboratories operated by the Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Sciences. These labs provide regional facilities that assist local agencies with crime scene investigations and the subsequent analysis of physical evidence.

Criminalists work for forensic laboratories and usually have college degrees in natural science (such as chemistry, microbiology, physics, or molecular biology) combined with specialized technical training. They can be generalists who process crime scenes, reconstruct events on the basis of evidence, and conduct laboratory analyses. Some specialize in different aspects of laboratory work, such as organic analysis for drugs, inorganic analysis of explosives residue, or molecular biology for DNA. Crime labs also employ technicians who are specially trained in various aspects of forensic science. Technicians often work specifically as fingerprint analysts, document examiners, crime scene investigators, or footwear and tire track impression experts.

As previously mentioned, forensic laboratories throughout the country offer a wide variety of services depending on their size, jurisdiction, and sophistication. The type of operation described here includes the full range of services that might be offered by a premier, well-funded laboratory affiliated with a large government entity. In reality, most crime labs offer some variation of the following example and supplement their efforts through assistance from other government and private labs. The following section titles and organizational information vary to a great extent between agencies.