2 Some Critical Personnel Policies in Forensic Science WILLIAM
FOX
Downloaded by YORK UNIV on June 3, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1975 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1975-0013.ch002
Oakland Research Associates, Staten Island, N. Y. 10310
The scientific q u a l i f i c a t i o n s of the personnel assigned to p o l i c e u n i t s involved in the d i s c o v e r y and e v a l u a t i o n of p h y s i c a l evidence are important i n determining the extent of the a p p l i c a t i o n o f the t o o l s of the p h y s i c a l sciences to the problems of the c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e system. With regard to the s t a f f i n g of these u n i t s it has been recognized that "...there is no s u b s t i t u t e f o r the educational background of s c i e n c e , and no amount of enthusiasm on the part of a p r o s p e c t i v e employee should be accepted i n lieu of a sound scientific background..." ( 1 ) . I t is t h e r e f o r e important to note some p e r t i n e n t f a c t s r e l a t e d t o the assignment of p o l i c e personnel to scientific u n i t s of the s e m i - m i l i t a r y p o l i c e agencies i n this country. A quest i o n a i r e to which 100 p o l i c e u n i t s responded revealed that "Of the t o t a l number of 459 civilian personnel employed in crime l a b o r a t o r i e s , almost all possess Bachelor of Science or equival e n t degrees. Of the 623 f u l l - t i m e p o l i c e personnel, only a f r a c t i o n hold Bachelor of Science degrees.... The areas of document examination, firearms comparison.... have the lowest number of degree h o l d e r s . " ( 2 ) . The survey a l s o revealed that "An examination of the educat i o n a l backgrounds of personnel i n many crime l a b o r a t o r i e s indicates a need f o r considerable upgrading. The number of experts q u a l i f i e d by 'on-the-job' t r a i n i n g is e x c e s s i v e . . . . , " ( 2 ) . The a c t u a l s i t u a t i o n regarding f u l l - t i m e p o l i c e s e r v i c e personnel assigned to the scientific u n i t s is obscured by the f a c t t h a t courses in s t u d i e s d e a l i n g with p o l i c e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , patrol activities and r e l a t e d matters are titled " P o l i c e Science" (3). The John Jay C o l l e g e , that branch of the New York C i t y U n i v e r s i t y System that o f f e r s degrees in P o l i c e Science and Captain, New York P o l i c e Department. T h i s paper utilizes only information a v a i l a b l e from the p u b l i c r e c o r d . No information gained as a r e s u l t of assignments i n the New York C i t y P o l i c e Department is i n c l u d e d h e r e i n .
8
Davies; Forensic Science ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
Downloaded by YORK UNIV on June 3, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1975 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1975-0013.ch002
2.
FOX
Critical
Personnel
Policies
9
Forensic Science, "received the l a r g e s t group of underprepared students i n any of the four-year c o l l e g e s " and "had the worst s e n i o r - c o l l e g e r e t e n t i o n r a t e a f t e r seven semesters" (3). These programs of study can be used t o hide a l a c k of q u a l i f i c a t i o n f o r assignment t o s c i e n t i f i c u n i t s of p o l i c e agencies, up to and i n c l u d i n g intermediate and command l e v e l supervisory p o s i t i o n s . What seems to have been perpetuated i s an "on-the-job" t r a i n i n g sequence where u n q u a l i f i e d p o l i c e s e r v i c e personnel r e c e i v e t h e i r t r a i n i n g and advancement from e q u a l l y u n q u a l i f i e d peers. As noted by Dr. Paul K i r k "Too many f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s are being t r a i n e d i n a crime l a b o r a t o r y by i n s t r u c t o r s with a n o n s c i e n t i f i c background...criminalistics i s not y e t mature enough to have emerged from the apprenticeship system" ( 4 ) . I t has been noted that "No new methods of f i r e d b u l l e t i d e n t i f i c a t i o n have been adopted s i n c e u t i l i z a t i o n of the compari s o n microscope over f o r t y years ago" (5). Does the information revealed i n the L.E.A.A. survey (2) that the area of firearms comparison was among those with the lowest number of degree holders suggest c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r s f o r the l a c k of s c i e n t i f i c advancement i n that f i e l d ? Continuing the p o l i c i e s of a s s i g n i n g p o l i c e o f f i c e r personn e l , without p h y s i c a l science q u a l i f i c a t i o n s , to the s c i e n t i f i c u n i t s of p o l i c e agencies cannot improve the q u a l i t y o f any of the s e r v i c e s r e q u i r e d of the p o l i c e . The f a c t that such p o l i c i e s have been followed by p o l i c e agencies i n t h i s country has i n h i b i t e d the u t i l i z a t i o n of the s k i l l s and e x p e r t i s e of p h y s i c a l s c i e n t i s t s of many s p e c i a l i t i e s and the a p p l i c a t i o n of s c i e n t i f i c knowledge and instrumentation t o the c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e system. Literature Cited 1.
2. 3.
4. 5.
Turner, R.F., "Forensic Science and Laboratory Techniques," Thomas, S p r i n g f i e l d , Ill. 1945 and F.B.I. Law Enforcement B u l l e t i n , (1945), 14, 13 Joseph, A., "A Survey o f Crime L a b o r a t o r i e s " , 1967 funded by LEAA Grant 013. L a v i n , D.E., "Student Retention and Graduation a t C i t y U n i v e r s i t y of New York: September 1970 E n r o l l e e s Through Seven Semesters", 1974. Chem. and Eng. News. (1967), August 14, p.49. Johnson, A. paper in this volume.
Davies; Forensic Science ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
