FBI Laboratory in the United States
Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
Introduction to FBI Laboratory
The FBI Laboratory, founded in 1932, analyzes physical evidence submitted by FBI agents and by other law enforcement agencies to help solve crimes. It uses the most sophisticated investigative tools and methods known to law enforcement, many of which it pioneered. The laboratory employs specialists trained in many branches of science and in methods of scientific crime detection. They examine bullets, weapons, bloodstains, human and animal hair and skin, textile fibers, soils, rocks, metals, and many other forms of evidence. These specialists often serve as expert witnesses in trials, explaining the methodology and results of their analysis.
FBI Laboratory technicians use chemicals, powders, lasers, and special light sources to find and enhance fingerprints, tire impressions, shoeprints, and other characteristic marks that can link suspects to crime scenes. Other specialists identify forged letters and documents by analyzing handwriting, identifying impressions in the surface of paper, and determining the origins of a document’s ink and paper. The FBI Laboratory also analyzes photographs, financial records, firearms, and explosives and their residues.
Another important laboratory function is the analysis of dioxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in bodily fluids and tissues, a procedure called DNA fingerprinting. By identifying the DNA profile of blood, semen, saliva, or hair found at the crime scene and comparing it to the DNA profile of the suspect, laboratory scientists can determine with a high degree of likelihood whether the suspect was at the crime scene. The FBI Laboratory’s National DNA Index System allows U.S. crime laboratories to electronically compare DNA profiles with those from convicted criminals and from biological evidence in unsolved cases.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about FBI Laboratory in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
Guide to FBI Laboratory
In this Section
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation Structure, FBI Jurisdiction and Investigative Responsibilities, FBI Agents, Law Enforcement Services, FBI Law Enforcement Services (including FBI Fingerprint Identification, FBI Laboratory, FBI Criminal Profiling, FBI Police Training, National Crime Information Center and Crime Statistics), FBI History (including FBI Early Years, Hoover Reforms, FBI in the World War II and Postwar Era, FBI Antiradical Activities, FBI Reform, Ruby Ridge, FBI Under Freeh and September 11 Attacks), FBI and the Patriot Act and National Lawyers Guild.