When Edmond Locard established the Laboratoire Intérregional de Police, the world's first crime lab, in Lyon, France, in 1910, he had only two instruments—a microscope and a spectroscope. Over the next 100 years, scientific developments such as the electron scanning microscope, chromatography, DNA identification, and neuron activation analysis made the modern crime lab possible. In the world of law enforcement, the role of the crime laboratory has become crucial, especially if a case goes to trial. Prosecutors recognize that one of the best ways to impress a jury—and thereby win a case—is to introduce science-based evidence that links the accused to the crime. Crime Lab explores the work performed by crime lab personnel and its importance in the context of a criminal investigation.
Key topics covered include:
Edmond Locard and the first crime lab
Toxicology
Ballistics
DNA typing
Anthropological Research Facility at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (The Body Farm)
Arson investigation
Fingerprint identification
Trace evidence.

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Excerpted from Crime Lab by Colin Evans
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