3. DNA Fingerprinting
If you watch a lot of cop shows, you would be familiar with the term CODIS. It stands for Combined DNA Index System. With CODIS, you can search through data of millions DNA just as you process fingerprints. Without it, solving crime would have been relying on fingerprints only.
So, when did it all start?
CODIS was created after Alec Jeffreys invented the DNA fingerprinting technology in 1984. Prior to that, criminals were convicted based on evidence and eyewitness only.
And this technology was a groundbreaking invention in law enforcement field. It helps convicting criminals faster by tying them to the crime scene or evidence without having to rely on eyewitness. Humans can lie, science don’t. Besides that, before CODIS, identifying bodies only relied on dental records.
The invention of DNA fingerprinting also works the other way around. Since 1992, Innocence Project has freed 343 wrongfully convicted people and found 147 real perpetrators. All thanks to this DNA technology. Unfortunately, some of those wrongfully convicted had been executed even before they were proven not guilty.
