About Police Photography

Police photographers are forensic scientists who, like medical examiners, biologists and chemists, develop and document evidence to help law enforcement solve crimes. Forensic photographers may be sworn police personnel (especially in smaller departments) or they may be full-time forensic scientists. Visual records gathered using photography are used to prosecute criminal cases and are subject to the same rules of evidence and chain of custody requirements as any other evidence.

History of

The modern science of forensics can be traced back to the establishment of the Department of Legal Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1807. E. A. Poe introduced the forensic specialist to audiences in 1842 and Sherlock Holmes used modern science (with more than a little brilliant deduction) to discover the truth. The London Metropolitan Police criminal investigations division (known as Scotland Yard) became the world's leading forensic laboratory, in part, as a result of the Holmes stories. As forensic science developed, each new invention brought tools to the laboratory to help investigators.

Invented

The first forensic photographers operated in Europe during the nineteenth century, photographing inmates and criminals who sat for daguerreotypes in their cells. Near the end of the century, French photographer Alphonse Bertillon developed a methodology for photographing criminals so that photos could be analyzed and compared, the first "mug shots." Toward the end of the century, the invention of emulsion film by George Eastman and color film by James Maxwell made the use of photography in field situations practical. The first forensic photography department was created at the University of Lausanne in 1903.

Evolution

Twentieth century journalists used crime photography for more than just "mug shots"--they documented hangings and bloody crime scenes. Police began photographing crime scenes and by the 1940s, were routinely documenting evidence with photography. The use of realistic photographs became more accepted in courts and, in 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court ("Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals," a case prompted by the development of DNA testing) provided a precedent to evaluate forensic evidence, using the qualifications of the witness and the "reliability" of the scientific process. The development of hand held video and digital cameras in the 1980s and 1990s made visual documentation possible for nearly every police department.

The Facts

Modern police photographers use video, microscopic and telescopic photography and digital and emulsion film-based images in documenting evidence. Forensic photographs must be clear and must include known items (such as coins or a measuring device) from which size can be judged. The police photographer must be qualified to speak on photography and be able to confirm the reliability of the image. Any photograph used in the prosecution of a case must have a clear chain of custody (record of who has handled it and where it has been kept) in order to be considered in a case.

Expert Insight

Photographs introduced in court almost always are admitted if they are relevant (clearly illustrate a point that a party is trying to make), if they are clear (cruiser dash cams are often muddled and confusing) and reliable (printed immediately with no alterations or computerized "enhancements"). The state generally has an advantage in getting its photos accepted, not because the court favors the police but because they generally come to court with a clearly documented chain of custody, equipment that is available for inspection and photographs that are clear and self-explanatory.

Resources

• Forensic Photography Department, Westchester County N.Y.
• A History of Legal Photography with links
• Forensic science history