Edmond Locard and Sir Alec Jeffreys are two highly regarded pioneers in the field of forensic science. Their accomplishments have revolutionized the practice of crime scene investigation and the way that crimes are solved. Locard's Exchange Principle is one of the most influential theories applied to crime solving, while Sir Alec Jeffreys's breakthrough development of DNA profiling significantly transformed the way in which criminals are found guilty and convicted. .
Dr. Edmond Locard was born on December 13th, 1877 in the city of Lyon, France. He received his doctoral degree in medicine from the University of Lyon in 1902. He went on to become the assistant to a French medical doctor who became known as the father of modern forensic medicine, Alexandre Lacassagne. Locard eventually became interested in law and passed the bar exam in 1907. According to Hoobler (2010), "a year later, he studied alongside Alphonse Bertillion: a biochemist researcher and French police officer, who was responsible for developing an anthropometric system of physical measurements to identify criminals. " (pg.42). .
In 1910, Locard managed to convince the Lyon police department to allow him to set up a crime lab "for collecting and examining evidence from crime scenes."" ("Locard, Edmond " 2005, Para. 4).In order to set up his laboratory, Locard was provided with a few empty rooms in the attic on the third floor of the Palais de Justice courthouse. This laboratory became known as the world's first official crime lab. He purchased a microscope, reference books, chemicals, a Bunsen burner, and a spectroscope with his own money. "This laboratory received world recognition and many great criminalists obtained their knowledge and experience under the guidance of Locard in the years that followed. " (Houck & Siegel, 2006, p.87). Ultimately, Locard's lab ended up becoming the original model by which all crime labs were formed.
