Institute of Forensic Science and Criminology

Rodolphe Archibald Reiss, a doctor of science and head of photography at the University of Lausanne from 1898, obtained the creation of the Institut de police scientifique in 1909. The University of Lausanne thus became the first in the world to provide university-level training in the new field of forensic science. R. A. Reiss was also a pioneer: following in the footsteps of Alphonse Bertillon in France, he helped to perfect a number of photographic procedures, particularly in the fields of anthropomorphology and portraiture.

Arguing that photography had become «the automatic and impartial recorder of événements»[1], Reiss promoted useful and objective photography. Called in as an observer to investigate breaches of the laws of war committed in Serbia, Reiss nevertheless ended up taking sides in the conflict that was tearing Europe apart: in 1915 he published «Comment les Austro-Hongrois ont fait la guerre en Serbie. Observations directes d’un neutre»[2]; as a correspondent for the Gazette de Lausanne, he also éwrote numerous articles demonstrating his commitment to Serbia.

These articles were written in the context of the war in Serbia.

These partisan moves worried the Vaud and federal authorities, and Reiss's intellectual and moral credentials were called into question. The attacks came not only from the Alpine press, but also from scientific circles: the great Austrian criminal lawyer H. Gross was the target of a series of attacks. Gross was the author of a number of diatribes that went so far as to question Reiss’s mental health.

The controversy escalated until it reached the University and the Institute of Forensic Science. In 1916, in response to Reiss's stance, the rapporteur of the new law on higher education to the Grand Council suggested abolishing the official title of "Institute" and the creation of Reiss[3]. A change of name would be disastrous, and would almost be tantamount to its disappearance, according to Reiss, who threatened to resign if it was accepted[4]. In the end, the Grand Council relented and Reiss was allowed to keep his job.

Following increasingly frequent trips to Serbia, Reiss relinquished his post at the Institute in 1919; it was Mr A. Bischoff, his former colleague, who took over as director. A technical adviser to the Vaud Cantonal Police and an adviser to the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO-Interpol), Bischoff greatly expanded the areas of expertise of the IPS. In 1954, on the initiative of Professors M. H. Thélin and Ch. Gilliéron, the Institut de police scientifique became the Institut de police scientifique et de criminologie» (IPSC); the Universitédès dédelivers two diplomas: that of forensic science and criminology on the one hand, and that of criminology on the other.

Jacques Mathyer, a former student at Bischoff and head of research at the IPSC, was appointed director in 1963. An expert in the protection of banknotes and documents for the Swiss National Bank and a number of specialist companies, Mathyer also helped to diversify IPSC's activities.

At its inception, the Institute was attached to three faculties: Law, Medicine and Science. In 1982, however, the Law on the University of Lausanne (LUL) of 6 December 1977 came into force, and the IPSC became a School within the meaning of the LUL, attached to the Faculty of Law. Nevertheless, the location of the Institute in the School of Chemistry still bears witness to its roots in the so-called "hard" sciences.

In 1986, following the retirement of Professor Mathyer, the Vaud State Council appointed P. A. Margot, an IPSC graduate with a doctorate in science, as his successor. Following the introduction of a new syllabus and new regulations in 1990, the diploma in forensic science and criminology was renamed the Licence en sciences forensiques. In autumn 1994, the IPSC moved from the School of Chemistry on Place du Château to the new Chemistry Building (BCH) on the Dorigny university campus. To cope with the growing number of students and the increasing number of subjects taught, the IPSC became the Ecole des Sciences Criminelles (ESC) in 2004, and was split into two institutes: the Institut de Police Scientifique (IPS) and the Institut de Criminologie et de Droit Pénal (ICDP). The director is then assisted by two vice-directors, representing the IPS and the ICDP respectively.

The IPS and the ICDP are the only two institutes of this kind.

The ESC is celebrating the centenary of its creation in 2009. To mark the occasion, the ESC is organising the first public exhibition of Reiss's photographs in conjunction with the Musée de l’Elys&e. There were two opposing visions, the artistic one presented by the Museum and the historical one proposed by the School. As well as being completely reconcilable, these two axes allow us to pay tribute to «legal photography», the subject of Reiss's first teaching, and from which the creation of the Institute stems.

At the same time, it is important to note that the work of Reiss is based on a historical perspective.

Through successive structural changes, the Institute has experienced considerable growth in terms of student enrolments and a gradual expansion of its teaching and research areas. Under the direction of Professor Reiss, between 1909 and 1919, three diplomas in forensic science were awarded. From 1919 to 1963, 51 diplomas were awarded, including 10 postgraduate degrees in criminology. Under the direction of Professor Mathyer, 88 degrees were awarded up to 1986, including 4 doctorates. Between 1986 and 1999, in just over 10 years, the number of degrees awarded rose to 183, including doctorates and post-graduate degrees. A victim of its own success, the IPSC was forced to introduce a numerus clausus between 1992 and 1995 in order to limit the growth in student numbers. In 2010, the two institutes of the Ecole des Sciences Criminelles had 433 students[5].

Training opportunities have expanded accordingly: in addition to a Bachelor of Forensic Science and two PhDs, the ESC currently offers three Masters in Law and three Masters in Science. These are the Masters in «criminology» in «magistrature» and in «law, criminalityé and securityé of information technologies» for the former, and Masters degrees in chemical forensics, forensic identification and crime analysis for the latter[6]. To this day, the University of Lausanne is still one of the only academic institutions in the world to provide teaching that embraces the entire field of forensic science.

Sacha Auderset - UNIRIS 2014

[1] R. A. Reiss, «Quelques mots sur la photographie judiciaire», Revue suisse de photographie, 1903, p. 1.

[2] R. A. Reiss, «How the Austro-Hungarians made war in Serbia. Observations directes d’un neutre», Paris: Armand Collin, 1915. Accessible at: https://archive.org/details/commentlesaustro00reisuoft (accessed 9 July 2014).

[3] Christophe Champod et al, Le Théâtre du crime. R. A. Reiss, 1875-1929, Lausanne: Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes, 2009, p. 304.

[4] Letter dated 3 May 1916 from Reiss to the President of the Council of State. Quoted in J. Mathyer, R. A. Reiss, pionnier de la criminalistique, Lausanne: Payot, 2000, p. 121.

[5] http://www.unil.ch/esc/page10692.html (accessed 9 July 2014).

[6] http://www.unil.ch/esc/page16263.html (consulted; 9 July 2014).