Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"GRAFLEX - CROWN GRAPHIC"

Date Range From

1961

Date Range To

1985

Materials

PLASTIC, METAL, GLASS

No. Pieces

2

Height

21.2

Length

26.0

Width

18.2

Description

CAMERA, FOLDING. HARD, BLACK PLASTIC CASE WITH VIIEWFINDER WINDOW. FRONT PANEL FOLDS DOWN TO REVEAL AN EXPANDABLE, ACCORDION FOLD, CAMERA LENSE. LENSE MOVES BACK AND FORTH ON METAL TRACKS. VARIOUS HOOKS AND KNOBS ON SIDE AND BACK OF CASE. FRONT OF CASE MARKED "GRAFLEX" ON SILVER COLORED PLAQUE. FRONT OF CAMERA MARKED, "CROWN GRAPHIC... SYNCHRO COMPUR." FRONT OF CASE DOES NOT CLOSE.

Subjects

PHOTOGRAPHIC T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS CROWN GRAFLEX CAMERA WAS THE FIRST PIECE OF EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED FOR THE NEW INVESTIGATIVE BRANCH IN 1961. IT WAS STANDARD TO EVERY RCMP IDENTIFICATION BRANCH AT THE TIME, THE CAMERA TOOK HIGH QUALITY PHOTOS OF FINGERPRINTS AND CRIPME SCENES, AND WAS USED LOCALLY FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS. RETIRED SUPERINTENDENT IN CHARGE OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE, GLEN MICHELSON, WROTE A LETTER TO EXPLAIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IDENTIFICATION DEPARTMENT WHICH RELIED HEAVILY ON THE USE OF THE CAMERA. SEE BELOW: "IDENTIFICATION RECORDS (FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHY) OF PRISONERS WAS STARTED BY THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE IN 1931 BY DETECTIVE SYD WALLIS. COPIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND FINGERPRINTS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO OTHER POLICE FORCES BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT IN THESE EARLY YEARS. THEN LATER A COPY OF THE FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS WERE FORWARDED TO THE R.C.M. POLICE, A NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE, IDENTIFICATION BRANCH AT THEIR OTTAWA HEADQUARTERS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL POLICE FORCES IN CANADA AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL. LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE HAVE MAINTAINED AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF IDENTIFICATION RECORDS (FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS) SINCE THAT TIME. I STARTED MY CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT APRIL 14TH, 1947 BY JOINING THE R.C.M. POLICE FORCE IN LETHBRIDGE. I TRAINED IN REGINA AND ROCKCLIFFE “N” DIVISION HEADQUARTERS NEAR OTTAWA. I PURCHASED MY DISCHARGE FROM THAT FORCE JULY 31ST, 1950. I JOINED THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE FORCE AUGUST 29TH, 1950 UNDER THEN CHIEF GEORGE HARVEY. I RETIRED FROM THE CITY POLICE FORCE JULY 31ST, 1984. WHILE ON DUTY IN THE COMPLAINT OFFICE I BECOME INTERESTED IN FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHY. I CONSIDERED THE IDENTIFICATION OF CRIMINALS ACT IN THE CRIMINAL CODE TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS. AS I MENTIONED, THIS HAD BEEN STARTED BY SYD WALLIS, DETECTIVE) IN 1931. I STARTED FINGERPRINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHING PRISONERS, ALSO DEVELOPING PICTURES IN A SMALL CLOSET LIKE DARK ROOM HARDLY SUITABLE FOR THAT PURPOSE IN THE BASEMENT OF THE OLD POLICE STATION, 5TH ST. & 5TH AVE. SOUTH, LETHBRIDGE. I STARTED PLAIN CLOTHES (DETECTIVE) WORK IN 1957 AND TAKING A FEW PICTURES AT CRIME SCENES. I OBTAINED GOOD INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FROM TWO WELL KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHERS IN LETHBRIDGE, DR. VICTOR SPACKMAN, AND NEILS KLOPENBERG. THEY WAS MORE THAN WILLING TO GIVE ME HELP. FOR ANY MAJOR CRIME SCENES WE CALLED THE R.C.M. POLICE IDENTIFICATION OFFICER TO TAKE FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. THEY HAD A IDENTIFICATION BRANCH AT THE R.C.M. POLICE SUB-DIVISION OFFICE IN LETHBRIDGE. THIS OFFICER WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO GIVE US ASSISTANCE. ON FEBRUARY 27TH, 1961 UNTIL APRIL 14TH, 1961, I ATTENDED THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE IDENTIFICATION BRANCH SCHOOL IN OTTAWA AT THEIR HEADQUARTERS, (CLASS NUMBER 22). THIS COURSE OF INSTRUCTION INCLUDED FINGERPRINTS, PHOTOGRAPHY AND OTHER METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION, FOR ANY CRIME SCENE OR ACCIDENT REQUIRING POLICE INVESTIGATION. I WAS THE FIRST LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE MEMBER TO ATTEND SUCH A CLASS. I RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE AND SET UP THE FIRST CITY POLICE IDENTIFICATION BRANCH, AN OFFICE, WORK ROOM AND DARK ROOM, COMPLETE WITH FINGERPRINT FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT, CAMERAS AND CROWN GRAFLEX CAMERA TO TAKE PICTURES ANYWHERE, THEN TO DEVELOP THEM AND BE JUDGED ON OUR WORK, THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW POLICE STATION ADDITION WAS IN SEPT. 1963. I ENJOYED CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS AND DOING THE IDENTIFICATION WORK AT CRIME SCENES AND PHOTOGRAPHING THE SCENES AND OTHERS THAT REQUIRED INVESTIGATION. IN MY VIEW IT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICE WORK AND IT WOULD GIVE ME GREAT SATISFACTION IF I COULD LOCATE A FINGERPRINT LEFT AT A CRIME SCENE THAT WOULD IDENTIFY THE PERSON BEING THERE, OR FIND ANY OTHER PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT THE CRIME SCENE THAT WAS CONNECTED TO THE OFFENDER. I DID HAVE GREAT SUCCESS IN FINGERPRINTING AND WAS ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH THE FINGERPRINTS AT CRIME SCENES, AND PROCESS THEM READY FOR COURT. I WAS ABLE TO QUALIFY MYSELF AS A FINGERPRINT EXPERT IN JUVENILE COURT, MAGISTRATES COURT AND ALBERTA SUPREME COURT (NOW CALLED COURT OF QUEENS BENCH.) I ALSO GAVE EVIDENCE AT CORONERS INQUESTS IN FINGERPRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHY. FINGERPRINT EVIDENCE IS THE MOST COMMON, MOST SOUGHT AFTER, POSITIVE AND VALUABLE OF ALL TYPES OF EVIDENCE ENCOUNTERED IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS. THE FINDING OF A FINGERPRINT, HOWEVER AT THE CRIME SCENE IS NOT PROOF OF GUILT BY ITSELF, NOR ANY INDICATION OF GUILT UNTIL ALL THE ELEMENTS AND FACTS OF THE CASE ARE CONSIDERED, BUT IT PROVES THE PRESENCE AT THE SCENE OF THE OFFENCE OF THE PERSON WHO MADE THE FINGERPRINT IMPRESSION. THE PRESENCE OF THAT PERSON AT THE SCENE OF THE OFFENCE CANNOT BE REFUTED OR DENIED. IT MAY BE ALIBIED BUT IT IS POSITIVE AS TO HIS OR HER PRESENCE WHETHER OR NOT THAT PRESENCE WAS LEGITIMATE. FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION IS BASED ON THE ACCEPTED FACT THAT NO TWO FINGERPRINTS HAVE EVER BEEN FOUND TO BE IDENTICAL IN EVERY DETAIL. ONLY ONE PERSON AND ONLY ONE FINGER OF THAT PERSON CAN MAKE A GIVEN IMPRESSION, THE IMPRESSION CANNOT BE DUPLICATED BY ANY OTHER FINGER IN THE WORLD. IT WAS GRATIFYING AND AN HONOUR TO BE NAMED AS A FINGERPRINT EXAMINER BY THE SOLICITOR GENERAL OF CANADA IN THE CANADA GAZETTE APRIL 11TH, 1970. THIS WAS ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE. THIS WAS PURSUANT TO SECTION 594 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA. I ALSO ATTENDED AN ADVANCED IDENTIFICATION SERVICES FIELD SEMINAR HELD AT MYNARSKI PARK, PENHOLD ALBERTA ON OCT. 15TH, 1971. ALSO AN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR IDENTIFICATION CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR AT BOISE IDAHO, USA IN MAY 1982 ON IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES. AFTER I WAS PROMOTED TO THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BRANCH, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FORCE WERE SELECTED TO ATTEND THE R.C.M. POLICE IDENTIFICATION COURSE IN OTTAWA. THE IDENTIFICATION SECTION HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE FORCE. D.N.A. EVIDENCE IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IMPORTANT AND CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE IN IDENTIFICATION WORK." FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. CAMERA CASE WAS PREVIOUSLY ACCESSIONED. SEE P19960112062.

Catalogue Number

P20080008013

Acquisition Date

2007-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail