Every crime scene contains a story waiting to be discovered. The role of the forensic investigator is to listen carefully to the evidence and allow it to tell that story.

For over a century, fingerprints have been one of the most reliable tools used to identify individuals in forensic investigations. Even with advances in DNA profiling and other technologies, fingerprint identification remains an essential part of modern policing. The reason fingerprints are so valuable is their uniqueness. The patterns of ridges on our fingertips are formed before birth and remain unchanged throughout our lives. No two individuals have been found to share identical...

Crime scene investigation has become a global fascination thanks to television shows and movies. Programs like CSI portray forensic scientists solving complex cases within a single episode, using dramatic technology and quick laboratory results. While entertaining, the reality of forensic science is quite different. In real investigations, crime scene work is methodical, detailed, and often time-consuming. The first priority when investigators arrive at a scene is to preserve it. A crime...