Post by Jean-Claude Hubert on Aug 23, 2006 18:11:17 GMT
The Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale
A prestigious institution
The Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale, founded in 1914, was the first facility of its kind in North America. Today, with a staff of 125 highly qualified employees, its unique expertise and modern technology, it ranks among the mos eminent in the western world.
From the outset, its mission has always been to serve the cause of justice with impartiality and, through rigorous scientific expertise, support police or legal investigations. When the Laboratory was founded, basic knowledge in forensic medicine, chemistry and physics was put to use to develop scientific proof. Over time, these disciplines became more sophisticated and new specialties were developed: biology, toxicology, physical and organic chemistry, expertise in ballistics and counterfeiting. More recently, genetics, electronic and computer engineering, odontology and anthropology have augmented the arsenal of forensic science.
Regardless of the field concerned, scientific evidence provided by independent experts of acknowledged authority is playing an increasingly important part of the administration of justice. This global trend is irreversible and is one of the main reasons why the Laboratory's management wants to offer its services to Quebec institutions and the public.
In October 1996, the Laboratory became the first independent service unit of the ministère de la Sécurité publique. While continuing to pursue its traditional mission, the new status makes the Laboratory accessible to a broader clientele. The Laboratory's major clients remain the courts, coroners, police forces, and certain agencies and ministries of the Quebec Government. However, the Laboratory now offers its services, for consideration, to the private and para-public sectors, viewing this new direction as a unique opportunity to finance its scientific and technological developments.
A prestigious institution
The Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale, founded in 1914, was the first facility of its kind in North America. Today, with a staff of 125 highly qualified employees, its unique expertise and modern technology, it ranks among the mos eminent in the western world.
From the outset, its mission has always been to serve the cause of justice with impartiality and, through rigorous scientific expertise, support police or legal investigations. When the Laboratory was founded, basic knowledge in forensic medicine, chemistry and physics was put to use to develop scientific proof. Over time, these disciplines became more sophisticated and new specialties were developed: biology, toxicology, physical and organic chemistry, expertise in ballistics and counterfeiting. More recently, genetics, electronic and computer engineering, odontology and anthropology have augmented the arsenal of forensic science.
Regardless of the field concerned, scientific evidence provided by independent experts of acknowledged authority is playing an increasingly important part of the administration of justice. This global trend is irreversible and is one of the main reasons why the Laboratory's management wants to offer its services to Quebec institutions and the public.
In October 1996, the Laboratory became the first independent service unit of the ministère de la Sécurité publique. While continuing to pursue its traditional mission, the new status makes the Laboratory accessible to a broader clientele. The Laboratory's major clients remain the courts, coroners, police forces, and certain agencies and ministries of the Quebec Government. However, the Laboratory now offers its services, for consideration, to the private and para-public sectors, viewing this new direction as a unique opportunity to finance its scientific and technological developments.