About the IABPA
Welcome to the official website of the IABPA
The purpose of this page is to introduce you to the IABPA and inform you about our association. This website serves as a vehicle for providing information and resource material to assist our membership and the BPA community in their quest for education, professional development and networking. This website also serves to encourage and cultivate productive relationships among our membership and the BPA community and, most importantly, to support the pursuit of our organizational objectives.
Our website will continue grow as new information and resource material is added.
Who we are, and what we do......
WHAT IS BLOODSTAIN PATTERN ANALYSIS (BPA)?
Violent crimes often result in bloodshed. When liquid blood is acted upon by physical forces, bloodstains and bloodstain patterns may be deposited on various surfaces, including the clothing of the individuals present at the crime scene. When bloodstain evidence is examined by a qualified analyst, valuable information can be developed concerning the events which lead to their creation. This information can then be used to assist in the reconstruction of the incident or crime, and, can assist in the evaluation of statements from the witnesses and/or the crime participants.
The analysis of bloodstain evidence has become a valuable instrument in the successful prosecution and exoneration of those charged with violent crimes. In recent years, it has also assisted in overturning many wrongful convictions. The analysis of bloodstain evidence has also been utilized to assist in the reconstruction of incidents having occurred centuries ago that had previously remained a mystery.
The science of BPA continues to evolve and improve, as new research data and technology become available.
OBJECTIVES OF THE IABPA
The IABPA was established in 1983 with the following objectives:
- Encourage and promote the science of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis,
- Standardize the scientific techniques of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis,
- Promote education and encourage research in the discipline of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, and
- Inform members of the latest techniques, discoveries and developments in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis.
IABPA
CHARTER MEMBERS*
The charter (founding) members of the IABPA (and their 1983 affiliation) were:
- Tom Bevel (Oklahoma City Police Department, Oklahoma)
- Joseph Dean (Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, California)
- Charles Edel (Broward County Sheriff's Office, Florida)
- Rod Englert (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Oregon)
- Robert Fitzer (San Francisco Police Department, California)
- Harry Holmes (Virginia Beach Police Department, Virginia)
- Stuart H. James (Forensic Consultant, New York)
- Michael L. Johnson (Ada County Coroner, Idaho)
- Samuel Johnson (District 21 Medical Examiner's Office, Florida)
- Ronald Linhart (Los Angeles Medical Examiner/Coroner, California)
- Herbert Leon MacDonell (Laboratory of Forensic Science, Corning NY)
- Sara Lea Moore (Laboratory of Forensic Science, Corning NY)
- Robert W. Przygoda (Schuyler County Sheriff's Department, New York)
- Daniel Qyealy (Cook County Sheriff's Police, Illinois)
- Norman H. Reeves (Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey)
- James W. Rossi (Cook County Sheriff's Police, Illinois)
- Donald Ray Schuessler (Eugene Police Department, Oregon)
- Hal F. Sharpe (US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory)
- Casimer J. Smerecki (Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey)
- Deborah J. Wakida (San Francisco Police Crime Laboratory, California)
- Anita K. Y. Wonder (Wonder Institute, California)
- Robert W. Young, Jr. (Columbus Police Department, Ohio)