Dr. Manfred Hecker
September 2, 2019
Dr. jur. Dr. habil. Manfred R. Hecker passed away on September 2, 2019. He was 77 years old. Manfred was a Life Corresponding Member of the ASQDE.
Dr. Hecker was born in 1942. He attended his first ASQDE meeting in 1979 and thereafter became a Corresponding Member. He was voted a Life Corresponding Member in 2008.
In 1970, after completing a degree at the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Hecker joined the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) as a handwriting expert in the Forensic Science Institute.
Much of his work involved documents related to the Red Army Faction, a German domestic terrorist organization that was active from 1970 to 1998. He became the head of the documents section in 1974 and senior scientific director from 1981 until his retirement.
In 1996, he received a Doctorate in law degree at Humboldt University in Berlin. In 2000, he did his habilitation at the Law University in Wroclaw. His book, Forensische Handschriftenuntersuchung (Forensic Handwriting Examination), was published in 1993.
Dr. Hecker was also instrumental in the creation of the Forensic Information System for Handwriting (FISH), a collaboration between the German Federal Police, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FISH, a computer database that contains thousands of handwriting samples, was not only a groundbreaking instrument at the time of its launch, but also generated worldwide demand.
In 1995, he was inducted into the "Hall of Fame" of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI). His son Thomas now continues his legacy as a forensic document examiner in Germany and as a Corresponding Member of the ASQDE.
In Memoriam Article from the ASQDE newsletter
Obituary (German language)
In 1970, after completing a degree at the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Hecker joined the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) as a handwriting expert in the Forensic Science Institute.
Much of his work involved documents related to the Red Army Faction, a German domestic terrorist organization that was active from 1970 to 1998. He became the head of the documents section in 1974 and senior scientific director from 1981 until his retirement.
In 1996, he received a Doctorate in law degree at Humboldt University in Berlin. In 2000, he did his habilitation at the Law University in Wroclaw. His book, Forensische Handschriftenuntersuchung (Forensic Handwriting Examination), was published in 1993.
Dr. Hecker was also instrumental in the creation of the Forensic Information System for Handwriting (FISH), a collaboration between the German Federal Police, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FISH, a computer database that contains thousands of handwriting samples, was not only a groundbreaking instrument at the time of its launch, but also generated worldwide demand.
In 1995, he was inducted into the "Hall of Fame" of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI). His son Thomas now continues his legacy as a forensic document examiner in Germany and as a Corresponding Member of the ASQDE.
In Memoriam Article from the ASQDE newsletter
Obituary (German language)