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Bertillion System
Alphonse Bertillion, a French anthropologist, devised method of body measurements to produce
a formula used to classify individuals. This formula involves taking the measurements of a persons
body parts, and recording these measurements on a card. This method of classifying and identifying
people became known as the Bertillion System -
Book Published
In 1892, Galton, he published a book called "Fingerprints," in which he outlined a fingerprint classification system -- the first in existence. -
The first National Bureau of Identification in the US
NBI files included mugshots, fingerprints and related Bertillon records from criminals. -
Fingerprint Bureau Established
Scotland Yard established its first Fingerprint Bureau. The following year, fingerprints were presented as evidence for the first time in English courts. In 1903, the New York state prisons adopted the use of fingerprints, followed later by the FBI -
Military adopts the use of fingerprints
U.S. Military adopts the use of fingerprints – soon thereafter, police agencies began to adopt the use of
fingerprints -
Fingerprint card developed
The first official fingerprint card was developed -
fingerprint identification conclusions published
Dr. Edmond Locard published his fingerprint identification conclusions and the criteria that should be used to ensure reliability based on a statistical analysis study. -
Organiztion established
Established the first forensic professional organization, the International Association for Identification (IAI) -
FBI's Identification Division is formed
In 1924, an act of congress established the Identification Division of the FBI. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Bureau of Criminal Identification fingerprint repository and the US Justice Department's Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) fingerprint repository were combined with fingerprint cards from Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary to form the nucleus of the FBI Identification Division fingerprint files with a starting total of 810,188 fingerprint cards. -
First computer data base of fingerprints was developed
First computer data base of fingerprints was developed, which came to be known as the Automated Fingerprint
Identification System, (AFIS). -
Integrated AFIS
Introduction of Integrated AFIS (IAFIS). This system is maintained by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division. It can categorize, search and retrieve fingerprints from virtually anywhere in the country in as little as 30 minutes.