Edmond Locard Explained

Edmond Locard
Birth Date:	13 December 1877
Birth Place:	Saint-Chamond, Loire, French Third Republic
Death Place:	Lyon, France
Citizenship:	French
Nationality:	French
Field:	Forensic science, Public health
Known For:	First police laboratory, Locard's exchange principle, Sherlock Holmes of France
Children:	Denise Stagnara

Dr. Edmond Locard (13 December 1877 – 4 May 1966)^[1] was a French criminologist, the pioneer in forensic science who became known as the "Sherlock Holmes of France". He formulated the basic principle of forensic science: "Every contact leaves a trace". This became known as Locard's exchange principle.

Biography

Locard was born in Saint-Chamond, France on December 13, 1877, although some records claim he was born in 1872.^{[2] [3]} He studied medicine and law at Lyon, France, eventually becoming the assistant of Alexandre Lacassagne, a criminologist and professor. He held this post until 1910, when he began the foundation of his criminal laboratory.^{[4] [5]} His lab, located in Lyon, was the first forensic lab in Europe.^{[6] [7]}

In 1910, Locard succeeded in persuading the Police Department of Lyon to give him two attic rooms and two assistants, to start what became the first police forensic laboratory.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Locard's daughter Denise would be born on November 18, 1917, in Paris.^[11]

Locard produced a monumental, seven-volume work, Traité de Criminalistique. He also was first to codify Galton points, fingerprint characteristics meant for identification.

Locard continued his research in Lyon until his death in 1966.^[12]

Legacy

The young Georges Simenon, later to become a well-known detective writer, is known to have attended some Locard lectures in 1919 or 1920.

Locard is considered to be the father of modern forensic science. His Exchange Principle is the basis of all forensic work; the principle stipulates that when any two objects come into contact, there is always a transference of material between each object.^[13]

In November 2012, he was nominated to the French Forensic Science Hall of Fame of the Association Québécoise de Criminalistique.^[14]

References

1. Web site: Page of Alexandre Arnould Edmond LOCARD. Geneanet.
2. Book: Tilstone. William J.. Forensic Science: An Encyclopedia of History, Methods, and Techniques. Savage. Kathleen A.. Clark. Leigh A.. 2006. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-57607-194-6. en.
3. Book: Chisum. W. Jerry. Crime Reconstruction. Turvey. Brent E.. 2011-08-09. Academic Press. 978-0-12-386461-1. en.
4. Book: Coppock, Craig A.. Contrast: An Investigator's Basic Reference Guide to Fingerprint Identification Concepts. 2007. Charles C Thomas Publisher. 978-0-398-08514-8. en.
5. Book: Yount, Lisa. Forensic Science: From Fibers to Fingerprints. 2007. Infobase Publishing. 978-1-60413-061-4. en.
6. 1924. Review of THE Art of Cross-Examination, 3rd Edition; On the Witness Stand. American Bar Association Journal. 10. 4. 249. 25711556. 0002-7596.
7. Book: Rawtani. Deepak. Technology in Forensic Science: Sampling, Analysis, Data and Regulations. Hussain. Chaudhery Mustansar. 2020-08-19. John Wiley & Sons. 978-3-527-82767-1. en.
8. Web site: O'Connor. Tom. An introduction to criminal justice. https://web.archive.org/web/20100824202808/http://www1.apsu.edu/oconnort/default.htm . 24 August 2010 . Megalinks in criminal justice. Austin Peay State University. 17 September 2015.
9. Book: Hufnagel. Saskia. The Palgrave Handbook on Art Crime. Chappell. Duncan. 2019-06-27. Springer. 978-1-137-54405-6. en.
10. Book: Miller, Wilbur R.. The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia. 2012-07-20. SAGE Publications. 978-1-4833-0593-6. en.
11. Web site: Odenas - nécrologie. Denise Stagnara, fille d'Edmond Locard, s'est éteinte. 2021-11-19. www.leprogres.fr. FR-fr.
12. Book: Houck, Max M.. Mute Witnesses: Trace Evidence Analysis. 2001. Academic Press. 978-0-12-356760-4. en.
13. Book: Fletcher, Connie. Every Contact Leaves a Trace: Crime Scene Experts Talk About Their Work from Discovery Through Verdict. 2006-07-25. Macmillan. 978-0-312-34037-7. en.
14. Web site: Liste des intronises au Pantheon francophone de la criminalistique. Association Québécoise de Criminalistique. 2015-06-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20180306142808/http://www.criminalistique.org/intronisation.htm. 2018-03-06. dead.

Further reading

• Book: Erzinclioglu. Zakariah. Illustrated Guide+ to Forensics: True Crime Scene Investigations. 2004. Carlton. 978-1422354544.
• Book: Kirk. Paul Leland. Crime investigation: physical evidence and the police laboratory. 2008. Interscience.