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Forensic Science Books
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Barry A. J. Fisher is the
Crime Laboratory Director for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, a
position he has held since 1987. He began his career in Criminalistics with the
Sheriffs crime lab in 1969. His current interests concern the interrelationship
between forensic science and the law along with public policy issues concerning
the timely delivery of quality forensic support services to the criminal justice
system. To that end, he served as a member of the American Bar Association,
Criminal Justice Sections Ad Hoc Committee to Ensure the Integrity of the
Criminal Process and is currently a member of the American Judicature Societys
Commission of Forensic Science and Public Policy. He represents the American
Academy of Forensic Sciences on the Consortium of Forensic Science
Organizations, which represents six national forensic science professional
organizations and works to influence public policy in forensic science at the
national level.
Fisher is a Distinguished
Fellow and past-president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences;
past-president of the International Association of Forensic Sciences,
past-president of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors and a
past-chairman of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory
Accreditation Board. He is a member of the Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Advisor Council.
His textbook, Techniques
of Crime Scene Investigation, in its 7th edition. He is also a
co-author of Forensic Science Demystified. According to the book
description, it " explains
forensic science in a logical progression from evidence collection through
analysis and finally to the scientist actually testifying in court. This
self-teaching guide comes complete with key points, background information,
quizzes at the end of each chapter, and even a final exam. Simple enough for
beginners but challenging enough for advanced students, this is a lively and
entertaining brush-up, introductory text, or classroom supplement."
Nationally respected
investigators Joe Nickell and John Fischer explain the science behind the
criminal investigations that have captured the nation's attention. Crime Science
is the only comprehensive guide to forensics. Without being overly technical or
treating scientific techniques superficially, the authors introduce readers to
the work of firearms experts, document examiners, fingerprint technicians,
medical examiners, and forensic anthropologists. Each topic is treated in a
separate chapter, in a clear and understandable style. Nickell and Fisher
describe fingerprint classification and autopsies, explain how fibers link
victims to their killers, and examine the science underlying DNA profiling and
toxicological analysis. From weapons analysis to handwriting samples to shoe and
tire impressions, Crime Science outlines the indispensable tools and techniques
that investigators use to make sense of a crime scene. Each chapter closes with
a study of a well-known case, revealing how the principles of forensic science
work in practice.
Joe Nickell, author of
Detecting Forgery, Camera Clues, Unsolved History, Real-Life X-Files, Secrets of
the Sideshows, The Kentucky Mint Julep, and Mystery Chronicles, is Senior
Research Fellow at the Center for Skeptical Inquiry in Amherst, NY.
John F. Fischer, president of Forensic Research and Supply Corporation, worked
for many years as a forensic analyst in a Florida crime laboratory and has
lectured at the FBI Academy. Publisher's Weekly said of
Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection, "Nickell
(Pen, Ink and Evidence) and Fischer provide a comprehensive primer of forensic
investigation for the uninitiated. After an introductory chapter details the
proper protocol for securing a crime scene, nine chapters focus on different
forms of evidence. Although the writing is uninspired, a great deal of basic
information is presented. Each chapter ends with a well-known case study in
which the techniques discussed played a significant role. The relatively brief
case studies are the most interesting portion of the book and demonstrate the
range of evidence with which investigators must deal. A conviction was secured
in the Lindbergh kidnapping by matching marks on a homemade ladder left at the
crime scene with a carpenter's plane in Bruno Hauptmann's garage; a detailed
fiber analysis led police to conclude that Wayne Williams was responsible for
the deaths of 30 black men in Atlanta. Also discussed are firearms in the Sacco
and Vanzetti case, toxicology in the investigation into Marilyn Monroe's
suicide, DNA "fingerprinting" in the O.J. Simpson case and anthropological
techniques in an examination of the deaths of Russia's last czar and his family.
Some technical material, like how a bullet's entry hole might be smaller than
the bullet making the hole, is glossed over, but there's enough here to satisfy
most inquisitive readers."
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