Canadian Identification Society

Mission and goals

The Canadian Identification Society (CIS) is a professional association for those engaged in forensic identification, investigation, and scientific examination of physical evidence.

The CIS supports continuing research in all areas of forensic science and aims to keep members informed and current by providing excellent training opportunities and links to educational resources. It has served its members by encouraging forensic identification specialists to share their knowledge and experience.

President list

Christopher D. Tiller (1977–1978)

Scott J.J. Raybould (1978–1979)

C.F. Cecil Brown (1979–1980)

Donald Nelson (1980–1981)

William R. Pryde (1981–1982)

Archie G.A. Purgavie (1982–1983)

John E. Duncan (1983–1984)

S.H. Sim Wentzell (1984–1985)

Robert L. Bridgewater (1985–1986)

Kenneth J. Collier (1986–1987)

William Donald Dixon (1987 - +)

Spencer M. Hilton (1987–1988)

Ross E. Reed (1988–1989)

Donald F. Taylor (1989–1990)

H. Gregg McKinnon (1990–1991)

James R. McConnell (1991–1992)

Anthony J. Bouwmeester (1992–1993)

Janet N. Holt (1993–1994)

Ronald E. Yeomans (1994–1995)

Herbert J.M. Durand (1995–1996)

Bryan Amos (1996–1997)

J.D. Bert Hudon (1997–1998)

Robert B. Kennedy (1998–1999)

Brent Walker (1999–2000)

Scott Brown (2000–2001)

Henry Kinsella (2001–2002)

John P. (Pat) Downey (2002–2003)

Glen Saunders (2003–2004)

Mary Beeton (2004–2005)

Grant Boulay (2005–2006)

Paul Gagnon (2006–2007)

Shelly Massey (2007–2008)

Alexandre Beaudoin (2008–2009)

Matthew Lewandowski (2009–2010)

Stuart Wyatt (2010 - 2011)

Wade Knaap (2011-2012)

Shawna Laird (2012-2013)

John Aitkenhead (2013-2014)

+ = Deceased while president

The Tiller Award

Christopher D. Tiller, one of the founding members of the CIS, created the Tiller Award for CIS members who have demonstrated excellence in law enforcement photography. This award is offered on an annual basis. Only members in good standing with the CIS are eligible to apply.

Recipients:

Archie G.A. Purgavie

Brian Ward

Angus Noseworthy

Kenneth Lugg

David Zauner

Carey Smith

David Banks

Wayne Harnum

David E. Black

Gary Leydier

Al Misner

David J. Hamer

Alexander D. McMurrich

Douglas Handy

Ronald M. Gilbert

Leonard B. Shaw

Robert B. Kennedy

Joseph Slemko

W. Derrick Swiderski

William B. Benjamin

Suki Thind

Michael Reid

Sharon Smith

John D. Stewart

Alexandre Beaudoin

Bruce Hamblin

Grant Boulay

The Edward Foster Award

This award is named after Edward Foster, the founder of the fingerprint system in Canada, and is intended to encourage CIS members to conduct research that shall benefit the Forensic Identification profession. This award point out the great contribution of the recipient to Forensic Identification field in his career.

Recipients:

Brian E. Dalrymple

Harold G. Tuthill

Robert A. McPherson

Jack Milligan

Maurice E. Wolff

Paul Morin

David Ashbaugh

Robert B. Kennedy

Pat Laturnus

Maurice Nadeau

Alexandre Beaudoin

Della Wilkinson

The William Donald Dixon memorial research and essay Awards

William Donald Dixon, one of the founding members of the Canadian Identification Society, created two research awards, each in the amount of $500.00 (Canadian), for individuals engaged in forensic research.

Recipients:

John Badowski (1989)

Byron Ferguson (1990)

David Ashbaugh(1991)

Ron Yeomans (1994)

Tara Nicholls (2000)

Zain Bhaloo (2009)

Requell Weisbrod (2011)

The Michael J. Cassidy Award

Michael J. Cassidy made significant contributions to footwear comparison and identification. This award is intended to encourage professionalism and innovation in footwear evidence recovery and identification, by recognizing excellence in footwear comparison. Only members in good standing with the CIS are eligible to apply.

Recipients:

Wayne Harnum

Don Hulsman

Rob Gervais

Shelly Massey

Bruce Hamblin

The Jack Milligan achievement Award

Jack Milligan is one of the early founding members of the Canadian Identification Society. Three awards, in the amount of $500.00, $300.00 and $200.00 (Canadian), are available for CIS members that have been recognized by their peers for their outstanding achievements in the field of fingerprints. The award can be cash, a voucher, or can be put toward a sponsorship to attend a future Annual Educational CIS Conference.

Recipients:

RCMP – Ottawa Latent Fingerprint Bureau

Bradley J. Butler

CIS Friction Ridge Certification Committee (John Aitkenhead, Shawna Laird, Jean Séguin, Ralph Gutoskie)

Journal

The organisation's quarterly publication, Identification Canada, is a peer-reviewed 40-page colour Journal. This journal is, for the most part, bilingual. It is a means of distributing findings on hi-tech methods and ideas from both technological and scientific fields of the forensic sciences, as well as, a venue for communicating training opportunities and the business of the Society.

Editors

Lloyd Dunham (1977–1978)

Ivan Brown (1978–1979)

L.M. Schulhauser (1979–1981)

Jack Milligan (1981–1989)

Neala Taylor (1989–2002)

Della Wilkinson (2002-2012)

Wade Knaap (2012 -)

Annual Educational Conference

Each year, the Canadian Identification Society provides a venue which brings together persons in the forensic professions. This Annual Educational CIS Conference is held by police forces of a different city in Canada.

1978 – Ottawa – Royal Canadian Mounted Police/Canadian Police College

1979 – Regina – Regina Police Service

1980 – Peterborough - Peterborough Police Department

1981 – Vancouver – Vancouver Police Department

1982 – Montreal – Service de police de la Ville de Montréal

1983 – Calgary – Calgary Police Service

1984 - St-John's – Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

1985 – Winnipeg – Winnipeg Police Service

1986 – Burlington – Halton Regional Police Service

1987 – Victoria – Saanich Police Department

1988 – Toronto Metro – Toronto Police Service

1989 – Edmonton – Edmonton Police Service

1990 – Capital Region - 9 Dept's

1991 – Saint John - Saint John Police Department

1992 – Hamilton - Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police Service

1993 – Vancouver – Vancouver Police Department

1994 – Windsor - Windsor Police Department / Michigan-Ontario Identification Association

1995 – Halifax – Royal Canadian Mounted Police

1996 – Orillia – Ontario Provincial Police

1997 – Edmonton – Edmonton Police Service

1998 – Kitchener – Conestoga College

1999 – Fredericton – Royal Canadian Mounted Police

2000 – Vancouver - Delta Police Department

2001 – Ottawa – Ottawa Police Service

2002 – Mississauga – University of Toronto at Mississauga

2003 – Ottawa - Canadian Identification Society / International Association for Identification

2004 - St-John's – Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

2005 – Calgary – Calgary Police Service

2006 – Windsor – University of Windsor / Canadian Society of Forensic Science / Canadian Identification Society

2007 – Montreal – Sûreté du Québec

2008 – Halifax – Atlantic Canada Death Investigators / Canadian Society of Forensic Science / Canadian Identification Society

2009 - Vancouver - British Columbia Institute of Technology / New Westminster Police Service

2010 - Orillia – Ontario Provincial Police

2011 – Ottawa – Royal Canadian Mounted Police

2012 - Calgary - Calgary Police Service

2013 – Richmond, B.C. - Canadian Identification Society

2014 – Toronto - Canadian Identification Society