THE FBI CRIME LAB OFFICIALLY OPENED 87 YEARS AGO ON 11-24-1932

FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory

The crime lab that is now referred to as the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory officially opens in Washington, D.C., on November 24, 1932.

The lab, which was chosen because it had the necessary sink, operated out of a single room and had only one full-time employee, Agent Charles Appel. Agent Appel began with a borrowed microscope and a pseudo-scientific device called a helixometer.

The helixometer (ballistics microscope) purportedly assisted investigators with gun barrel examinations, but it was actually more for show than function. In fact, J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI, provided the lab with very few resources and used the “cutting-edge lab” primarily as a public relations tool. But by 1938, the FBI lab added polygraph machines and started conducting controversial lie detection tests as part of its investigations.

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behind the Crime Lab scenes

In its early days, the FBI Crime Lab worked on about 200 pieces of evidence a year. By the 1990s, that number multiplied to approximately 200,000. Currently, the FBI Crime Lab obtains 600 new pieces of criminal evidence every day.

The origins of the FBI Bureau’s lab may be traced back to the 1920s. The latest developments in the field of scientific crime detection had captivated Hoover and other Bureau officials for years.

After he became Director in 1924,  J. Edgar Hoover encouraged the Bureau to keep an eye on the latest insights into Bureau work that science provided.

At first, this interest was focused on fingerprint identification matters, especially those dealing with the discovery of latent fingerprints, but the use of scientific analysis in other matters was becoming prominent in law enforcement circles, and Hoover wanted the Bureau to use these methods where applicable.

By 1930, the Bureau began using outside experts hired for such work on a case-by-case basis. That same year the Bureau began a criminology library for the use of its agents and support personnel,7 and it took over the collection and publication of uniform crime statistics from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

In its new agent training program, the Bureau included expert lecturers on subjects like the use of the comparison of handwritings, the comparison of typewritings, the taking of fingerprints, the classification of fingerprints, moulage, ballistics and similar technical criminological subjects.8

Clearly, the application of science to criminal investigations was becoming a Bureau priority and went on to catch millions of killers and inspired the ID NETWORK...LOL

TITANIC: THE NEW EVIDENCE! PREMIERES ON SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

The sinking of the RMS Titanic has been the subject of countless investigations, and the true cause of the tragedy is hotly debated. Now, explosive new photographs have surfaced containing shocking revelations about a series of shortcomings, which contributed to the legendary ship's tragic sinking. The images, and more, are unveiled in Titanic: The New Evidence, which tells the story of the unluckiest ship in maritime history.

Tune in to the premiere  The Smithsonian Channel Saturday, January 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

CONCLUSIVE: MALAYSIAN FLIGHT 370 HIGH-JACKED BY A PILOT

 Official: Malaysian jet was hijacked, evidence 'conclusive'

Breaking News: Malaysian prime minister: Jet's transponder deliberately disabled

The missing Malaysian jet was hijacked by one of its own pilots or someone else aboard with flying experience, one of the country’s investigators said Saturday.“It is conclusive” and no longer a theory, said the unnamed Malaysian government official, who is involved with the investigation into the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines jetliner on March 8.The official said no motive had been uncovered, no demands for ransom had been made and it was unclear where the plane — with 239 passengers and crew members aboard — was taken.

He said evidence that led to the conclusion included signs that the plane’s communications were switched off deliberately, data about the flight path and indications the plane was steered in a way to avoid detection by radar.

The last known position of MH370 was pinpointed as it headed east over the Peninsular Malaysia. Rada pings then suggest the plane could have then taken two paths along 'corridors' which are currently being searched. The northern corridor extends from northern Thailand to the Kazakstan-Turkmenistan border, while the south extends from Indonesia into the southern Indian Ocean

Satellite data shows hijacked MH370 was last seen flying towards Pakistan OR Indian Ocean as Malaysian PM admits tracking devices were switched off before an 'experienced' pilot flew it off course..

     *Officials confirmed missing plane was hijacked by one or several people
     *Could have turned off communication system and steered it off-course
     *Now believed plane could have flown for six hours after contact was lost
     *Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak refused to confirm the reports
     *Investigators working to establish motive and where plane was taken
     *Reports suggest home of one of the pilots is currently being searched