The Vidocq Society is a members-only crime-solving club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
It is named for Eugène François Vidocq, the ground-breaking 19th century French and first private detective,[1] who helped police by using the psychology of the criminal to solve cold case homicides.
He is also considered to be one of the fathers of modern criminology, for the numerous inventions (for example indelible ink and unalterable bond paper) and major advances, such as the introduction of undercover work, ballistics, a record keeping system to criminal investigation, and the first ever plaster cast impressions of shoe prints[3][4] At meetings, law enforcement officials from around the world present cold cases for review.
[6] The Society was formed in 1990 by William Fleisher, Richard Walter, and Frank Bender.
[7][5] It solved its first case in 1991, clearing an innocent man of involvement in the murder of Huey Cox in Little Rock, Arkansas.