A Crime Scene Investigator is a common vocation for forensic science technicians set aside from lab technicians. A crime scene investigator refers to a person who gathers evidence and thoroughly studies its details and elements from a crime scene.
Edmond Locard, born in 1877, was a French criminalist and a successful pioneer in forensic scientist. Today he is best known as the “Sherlock Holmes of France,” he was proficient in
observation, reasoning logically and in forensic science. Locard had a very simple principle called the “Locard Exchange Principle,” that is widely used in Forensic Science. This Principle basically says that the suspect or perpetrator will bring something into the crime scene and leave with something from it as well; this principle may also be known as “Every contact leaves a trace.” Trace refers to “Trace evidence” which is any material left at or taken from a crime scene. Fingerprints for example, fingerprints can leave “patent prints” (visual prints) after coming in contact with colored materials, “Impressed prints” (Plastic prints) after touching a type of soft material such as soap and wax, or “True latent prints” which are prints that are created due to the tiny ridges on our fingers. Therefore, fragmentary evidence must be collected from the crime scene once a crime has been committed. Lockard’s Exchange principle has been proven to be prevalent in every crime that has presented itself. Many cases such as “The Weimar Children Murders” and “The Westerfield-van Dam Case” support this principle. Locard has demonstrated many characteristics of a qualified forensic scientist and crime scene investigator by presenting himself as an individual who possess analytical skills, problem solving instincts, a high standard of accuracy with attention to detail and high developed observation skills