• About Goddard
  • Overview of Award
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Major Calvin Hooker Goddard (1891-1955)

Major Goddard is credited with founding the science of Firearms Identification and first applying it to help police solve the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre in which seven gangsters were killed by rival Al Capone mobsters dressed as Chicago police officers.

That case led to the establishment of Northwestern University, the country's first independent forensic science crime laboratory, which Goddard headed. This university brought firearms identification, fingerprinting, blood analysis, and trace evidence under one roof. Goddard advised the FBI in 1932 when they set up a similar forensic science crime laboratory.

In the still controversial case of Sacco and Vanzetti, Goddard's firearms tests in 1927 verified that the revolver police found on Nicola Sacco was that used in the fatal robbery- the defense experts concurred with his finding. Because of Goddard's work, countless numbers of criminals have been brought to justice and the innocent vindicated.

  • About the award
  • View the plaque
  • View the pin

SCOPE
An individual or group that has demonstrated excellence in the area of firearms identification through
sustained superior performance, exemplary handling of a case, the implementation of best practices,
or in some other outstanding or unique contribution to the field of firearms identification.

THE AWARD
The Calvin H. Goddard Award consists of a scholarship for the individual or in the case of a group award, a single representative, to attend the annual AFTE Conference for the purpose of professional development. Customary and reasonable travel and lodging expenses will be paid by FT in an amount not to exceed the sum of $2,000. A commemorative plaque will also be presented to the awardees at the AFTE Conference.

NOMINATIONS
Nominations of qualified candidate(s) must be submitted via the application below to Forensic Technology no later than March 12, 2010. The nomination form may be submitted electronically on-line, or
downloaded, printed and faxed.

The Plaque
Each recipient of the Calvin H. Goddard Award for Excellence receives a photo metal plaque mounted to an oak base. The plaque contains the winner's name and organization, an image of Calvin Goddard working with a early microscope—all proudly presented by Forensic Technology and signed by the company's president, Robert Walsh.

The Lapel PinView larger image
New in 2009, each recipient of the Goddard Award now receives a gold-plated engraved lapel pin. Measuring 1" x 3/4", this pin bears the silhouette of a Thompson machine gun—the type of gun involved in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre where Calvin Goddard made significant leaps in the science of firearms identification.

NOTE: All winners prior to 2009 will also be receiving a lapel pin.

Please choose ONE of the methods below to nominate a candidate for the Calvin H. Goddard Award for Excellence.

Soft form
Mail form
Online
Download + Complete + e-mail
(Acrobat 7 or higher required)

Please note that nominations should be accompanied by a current CV/Summary of Court Qualifications if available.

If you have any trouble with the forms, or need to send any additional documentation, you can do so by contacting andre.demers@contactft.com.

Key Dates:
Nomination Period Opens:January 28th, 2010
Nomination Period Closes: March 27th, 2010
Award Presentation: May 6th, 2010, Henderson, Nevada.

If you have any questions regarding the nomination process, please do not hesitate to contact Andre Demers.

Goddard Award Winners
View photo Congratulations Bruce Moran, the 2009 Goddard Award Winner for Excellence!

Click on any of the years below to view information about the award winners.
2001
Mike Boncimino
New York Police Department
2002
Michael Rice
New Orleans Police Department
2003
Willie Odendall
South African Police Service
2004
Scott Doyle
Kentucky State Police
2005
John E. Murdock  |  Acceptance Speech
ATF - San Francisco
2006
Dr. James (Jim) Edward Hamby  |  Acceptance Speech
Director, International Forensic Science Laboratory and Training Centre (IFSLTC)
2007
John G. Ward, Sr.
Forensic Scientist - Firearm & Tool mark
Virginia Center of Forensic Science
2008

Jerry Miller
US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory

Mr. Miller joined AFTE as a Provisional Member in 1991. He received his Regular Membership in 1994 and was awarded his Distinguished Life Membership in 1997. He was the first AFTE member to be certified in all three forensic disciplines (firearms, toolmarks, and gunshot residues) and he also served AFTE proudly as a member of the following committee's: AFTE Editor, Certification Chair, Nominating Chair, and SWGGUN.

Within the ATF NIBIN program, Mr. Miller has been instrumental in using the IBIS® system to develop protocols, develop and test equipment, and train users. As a valued subject matter expert, he has been integral to the development of CMS and BULLETTRAX-3D™.

Using the IBIS system, Mr. Miller has researched the criteria for toolmark examination, for example Ballistic Imaging. He has also published several articles, such as the Comparison of Crime Gun Evidence by the ATF, and he is the author of over 25 professional papers in the AFTE Journal.

2009
Bruce R. Moran  |  Acceptance Speech
Sacramento County District Attorney's Laboratory of Forensic Services

Over his 32 year career, Bruce Moran has authored or co-authored 27 papers and has presented 25 papers at professional meetings. It is, however, his sustained training activities in the U.S. and abroad that distinguish him from his peers in receiving this award.

Bruce started in 1981 and has not slowed down since. His main training areas these days are shooting scene reconstruction (SSR) and criteria for the identification of toolmarks (CIT). Regarding SSR, Bruce has authored a chapter in a book and currently team-teaches a one week class with Chris Coleman. Regarding CIT, Bruce has co-instructed a workshop at four AFTE meetings, at LAPD, in Hong Kong, and in Germany. He has co-instructed two one-week CIT classes at CCI in Sacramento and two classes in Australia.

One of Bruce's most important contributions was to Modern Scientific Evidence in which he co-authored a chapter. This multivolume set is in the hands of most law offices in the U.S. It was created to provide U.S. Court Judges with specifics about forensic science that they could use in their role as gatekeepers of the admissibility of scientific evidence under the Daubert criteria.

Several years ago, because of his expertise in CIT, Bruce was chosen by the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes - Expert Firearm Working Group to participate in a comprehensive proficiency test involving faithfully produced replicas of bullets and cartridge cases. He traveled to Denmark to present his results and was awarded affiliate member status. This is an honor bestowed on only a few AFTE members.

Bruce has served AFTE well. One of his most significant contributions was to serve as an Angoff Panel member along with 11 other AFTE members. This panel reviewed all of the AFTE Certification Test questions and also reviewed all of the practical tests. Bruce also served on the Scientific Working Group for Firearm and Toolmark Identification (SWGGUN) from 1999 to 2004.

Bruce has contributed, generally, to Forensic Technology through his role as a technical advisor, and specifically through his work to help Forensic Technology develop the consecutive matching striae feature of the IBIS® BULLETTRAX-3D™ system. He spent countless hours matching striae on bullets, grouping the consecutive runs, and photographing these runs so that Forensic Technology could create a system that could mimic what is seen by the experienced eye of Bruce Moran.

Media Relations

Andre Demers
514.485.5610
andre.demers@contactft.com

 

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