Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (11th Edition) – Global

Author(s)

Richard Saferstein

Dr. Richard Saferstein (late), retired in 1991 after serving for 21 years as the chief forensic scientist of the New Jersey State Police Laboratory, one of the largest crime laboratories in the United States. He passed away in 2017 and used to act as a consultant for attorneys and the media in the area of forensic science.

During the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, Dr. Saferstein provided extensive commentary on forensic aspects of the case for the E! Television network, ABC radio, Rivera Live show, and various radio talk shows. Richard holds degrees from the City College of New York and earned his doctorate degree in chemistry in 1970 from the City University of New York. From 1972 to 1991, he taught an introductory forensic science course in the criminal justice programs at Ocean County College and College of New Jersey. These teaching experiences played an influential role in Dr. Saferstein’s authorship in 1977 of the widely used introductory textbook Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. His basic philosophy in writing Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab 4th Edition, is to make forensic science understandable and meaningful to the nonscience reader while giving the reader an appreciation for the scientific principles that underlie the subject.

Dick has authored or coauthored more than 45 technical papers covering a variety of forensic topics. He is also a member of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, American Chemical Society, Canadian Society of Forensic Scientists, International Association for Identification, American Academy of Forensic Sciences,  and Society of Forensic Toxicologists.

In 2006, Richard received the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Paul L. Kirk award for distinguished service and contributions to the field of criminalistics.