Brunelle, Richard L.

AMERICAN
FORENSIC CHEMIST

Richard L. Brunelle worked for both the government and the private sector as a forensic chemist for almost forty years, specializing in document authentication and ink analysis. Brunelle's expertise led him to write two successful books on the subject. He also served as a consultant on many criminal cases. In addition, Brunelle is responsible for founding the Society of Forensic Ink Analysts.

Brunelle began his career as a forensic chemist for the Forensic Science Laboratory at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). He worked with the ATF for twenty-eight years, holding various positions including the chief of the Forensic Science Laboratory. During this time Brunelle conducted extensive research in the area of ink analysis, including work with chemist Antonio Cantu to develop new methods for chemically determining the relative age of ballpoint pens. Additionally, Brunelle was consulted on document fraud cases across the country and wrote articles for a number of professional publications.

Brunelle is perhaps best known for the two major books he co-wrote on the subject of ink analysis. The first was the 1984 Forensic Examination of Ink and Paper, written with Robert W. Reed. The text details the history, properties, and composition of writing inks and paper, as well as the forensic examination and court acceptability of said products. In 2003, Brunelle and fellow forensic scientist Kenneth R. Crawford wrote Advances in the Forensic Analysis and Dating of Writing Ink. In this book, the authors outline laboratory procedures used in examining and dating inks, and discuss the techniques' applications in civil and criminal cases. They focus on advances made within the last twenty years, including relative age comparisons and accelerated aging of inks.

After his retirement from the ATF, Brunelle started his own forensic science firm, Brunelle Forensic Laboratories. There he specialized in dating inks on questioned documents. He also was responsible for establishing the Society of Forensic Ink Analysts. It was the first professional association for forensic ink chemists, created to advance the science of forensic ink analysis such as ink comparisons, ink identification, and ink dating. Brunelle was awarded the 1972 John A. Dondero Award from the International Association for Identification, given in recognition of outstanding contributions in the field of scientific identification.