CALVIN GODDARD
KIM & ODALIS
(1891-1955)
About Calvin Goddard
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He was a physician before he enlisted in the U.S. Army
Medical Corps , and then in the U.S. Army gunnery reserve
At 34 years old, he decided to pursue guns as a career, so he
joined the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics , which was at the time
the only laboratory with the purpose of examining firearms
and bullets used in crimes in the U.S.
He was the commander of the Army’s second ever forensic
laboratory, which was located in Japan, after World War II
He became a pioneer in the development of the branch of
forensic science that is forensic ballistics (firearm identification)
Achievements
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Calvin Goddard was the founder of the science of Firearms
Identification. During the Valentine’s Day Massacre, he was the
one who cleared the police of being guilty of having shot a gang
in cold blood. He compared the bullets and the guns to prove
that the markings left were not the same. He helped prove that
someone had impersonated the police to do the shooting. Later
on he discovered that one of Al Capone’s men had been a
shooter of Moran’s gang.
He had also done this before in the Sacco -Vanzetti case. The
case had caused so much controversy. On June 3, 1927, he
offered his services to the defense to test out if one of the bullets
came from Sacco’s gun. He proved that the bullet had come from
there by shooting the gun into cotton balls and comparing it to
the markings of the crime scene. He proved that Sacco and
Vanzetti were guilty of murdering a security guard and stealing
money.
Achievements(cont.)
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He set up a lab in Northwestern University where he worked
on the Massacre and later was used to analyze fingerprints,
blood and trace evidence.
Goddard also supported identifying fired bullets and cartridge
cases under a microscope. This is how he compared most of
the bullets for cases.
With the help of Charles Waite, created one of the most
extensive ballistics databases in his time
The FBI created its ever first crime lab under his guidance in
1932
Bibliography
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Fisher, J. (2008, January 7). Forensic science. Jim Fisher - The Official Web Site.
Retrieved September 5, 2012, from http://jimfisher.edinboro.edu/forensics
Lotter, K. (2008, February 1). St. valentine's day massacre. Forensic science @ suite
101. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from suite101.com/article/st-valentines-daymassacre-a43423
United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. (n.d.).Shiver & Nelson
Document Investigation Laboratory. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://www.documentlab.com/USACIL.htm
Yount, L. (2007). The name on the bullet-Calvin Goddard and firearms
identification. Forensic science from fibers to fingerprints (pp. 69-70). New York:
Chelsea House.
Goddard, Calvin Hooker . (n.d.).eNotes . Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://www.enotes.com/goddard-calvin-hooker-reference/goddard-calvin-hooker