- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
1925-1929
Home > History > 1925-1929
1925
Calvin Goddard
Charles E. Waite, Calvin H. Goddard, Philip O. Gravelle, and John H. Fisher established the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics in New York City. The Bureau was formed to provide firearms identification services throughout the United States. After Waite died in 1926, Goddard headed the bureau until it disbanded in 1929.
Gravelle and Goddard applied comparison microscopy to the field of firearms identification. This allowed the examiner to more readily identify matching striae.
Goddard and Fisher developed the helixometer, a magnifier probe used to examine the interior of firearm barrels and accurately measure the pitch of rifling. Limited application led to its obsolescence.
In June 1925, the Saturday Evening Post published a two-part series of articles entitled “Fingerprinting Bullets – The Silent Witness.” These articles were instrumental in informing the public about both the science of firearm identification and the availability of services offered by the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics.
1926
Captain Edward C. ‘Ned’ Crossman, a well-known shooter and sports writer, examined firearms evidence for the Los Angeles County sheriff. He became associated with the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics, serving as a regional representative for the western portion of the United States.
1927
Sacco & Vanzetti's firearm
A special committee was appointed to review the findings of the Sacco and Vanzetti case. Colonel Calvin Goddard used the comparison microscope and helixometer (recent technological advancements previously unavailable) to reexamine recovered evidence bullets and cartridge cases. He was able to verify that one fatal bullet and one cartridge case had been fired from Sacco’s pistol. These findings were verified by subsequent reexaminations in 1961 and 1983.
1929
Thompson machine gun
Intense public interest surrounding the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (February 14, 1929, Chicago, Illinois), coupled with rumors that police officers may have been involved, prompted local officials to impanel a grand jury to investigate the slaying of seven gangsters by a rival gangster group.
The grand jury foreman engaged the services of Calvin H. Goddard of the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics to examine firearms-related evidence, which included fired bullets, pellets, fired shotshell cases, and fired cartridge cases. Goddard concluded that the killers had used one 12-gauge shotgun and two Thompson submachine guns. He noted that one of the Thompson submachine guns was fired using a fifty-round drum magazine while the other was fired using a twenty-round magazine.
Goddard tested all police Thompson submachine guns, comparing them to the crime scene evidence. He determined that none of the police weapons were used in the killings; he subsequently identified firearms obtained during the search of a suspect’s home as the murder weapons.
