Canadian Identification Society


The Canadian Identification Society is a bilingual professional non-for-profit fellowship of police officers and civilian members who share interests and employment in crime scene investigation. Also known in French as Société Canadienne de l'Identité
The CIS was officially created under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act on November 13, 1977, following the signature of the Letters Patent. The founding members of the CIS were:
Although the Society is mainly a Canadian organization including more than eight hundred members through Canada, it also gathers members of the United States of America, Australia, United Kingdom as well as others international communities.

Mission and goals

The Canadian Identification Society 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

+ = Deceased while president

Awards

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