Issues Among Today 's Latent Fingerprint Detection Techniques

They first had to identify whether the body was indeed Tiernan’s or not and two days after the body was found, fingerprinting methods indeed determined that the body was Leanne Tiernan. Despite her body being found 9 months later, her body was still intact enough to gather fingerprints. Fingerprinting proves to be a critical method in forensic cases as no two individuals have been recorded having the same fingerprint, making it an ideal way to identify suspects or victims. Fingerprints are also individual characteristics making it nearly 100% chance that it could be traced back to a source. Getting something Tiernan may have touched can then be compared to a fingerprint(s) taken from her body. Fingerprints have ridge characteristics known as minutiae and can also be classified on their general pattern known as loops, arches, and whorls. Fingerprints also do not change unless damage is done to the dermal papillae, which makes fingerprints a powerful use of evidence. Extracting a fingerprint from Tiernan would require pressing a finger into an ink pad and then transferring the impression onto a card that would be examined by a professional. However, getting a sample to compare her fingerprint would require investigators to find a latent fingerprint (prints that are left on a surface which are invisible to the naked eye) of Tiernan. When we touch something, we leave impressions on surfaces due to the sweat and oil and as long as the

In quadrants 1 and 2 how the amount and constituents of the fingerprint residue on the substrate affects the fingerprint image, is determined. In quadrant 1, excess sebum and moisture is first removed from the finger tips with the help of a clean cloth. In quadrant 2, fingertip is first wiped around the nose or forehead to create excess sebum. Quadrant 3 and 4 were used to compare the details between untreated and dusted fingerprint residues.

Lee, H. (2001). Advances in Fingerprint Technology, Second Edition, 2nd Edition. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from Vital Source: http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781420041347

Method used: I used my latent fingerprint dusting powder in order to bring the print to a visible state to the naked eye and then I used my tape I had to gain a copy of the print off the handle. I then took the evidence to my forensic vehicle in order to keep it secure for further examination.

For over a century fingerprints have been one of the most used tools of forensic science. Fingerprints have been used to identify criminals of small crimes

Explain the principles and processes used in the analysis, comparison, evaluation, and verification of latent fingerprints. Latent prints are formed when the body’s natural oils and sweat on the skin are deposited onto another surface. Latent prints can be found on a variety of surface they are not readily visible and detection often requires the use of fingerprint powders, chemical reagents or alternate light sources. Generally speaking, the smoother and less porous a surface is, the greater the potential that any latent prints present can be found and developed. Investigators often perform cyanoacrylate processing, or fuming, of a surface before applying powders or dye stains. This process, typically performed on non-porous surfaces, involves exposing the object to cyanoacrylate vapors. The vapors will adhere to any prints present on the object allowing them to be viewed with oblique ambient light or a white light source. (Latent, n.d)

used method for this is called “tape lifting” blood stains by taking fingerprints tape and

Exercise 2 Latent Print Development Introduction The purpose of this lab was to introduce the method of latent print development using fingerprint dusting powders and practice those techniques. When latent fingerprints are found at a crime scene, they are developed and documented by a crime scene technician and analyzed by a trained latent fingerprint examiner. Fingerprints can be classified into three general patterns: loops, whorls, and arches. Fingerprints are patterns of friction skin ridges which consist of veins, capillaries, and sweat glands.

For processing fingerprints, forensic technicians plac lifting tape on the print. Then they carefully flatten the tape and slowly peel the tape off of the surface, hence lifting the print. After the print is lifted, forensic technicians will than seal the lifted print to keep it from being contaminated.

However, fingerprint can be contaminated if investigators are not careful, in which could lead to false conclusion and could develop false leads. Further, professional criminals would often avoid contaminating their crime by wearing gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints. The introduction of DNA methods has helped provide viable evidence for investigators. This is because DNA can leave traces such as, saliva, hair sweat and dandruff just to name a few. The DNA testing has also been accepted by the courts due to its accuracy and value to support evidence. (Hess, Orthmann, Cho, 2013)

The ageing of a latent fingerprint correlates to the changes in the initial composition over time, caused by chemical, biological and physical factors. Changes to the initial composition over time involve processes such drying, evaporation, oxidation metabolism, polymerisation and degradation [Weyermann & Ribaux 2012]. The understanding of the ageing process and the resulting by-products and/or new compounds is critical in determining the age of a latent fingerprint. Even though the idea of determining the absolute or relative age of fingerprints has been around for some time, a limited number of studies in this area have been published [Archer et al. 2005; Popa, Potorac & Preda 2010; Weyermann et al. 2010].

Fingerprints offer a solid method for an individual's identification. This is the basis for clarification of fingerprints and has since replaced techniques for identifying people who are reluctant to admit previous arrests. (Moore, 2017) This essay will discuss the historical backdrop of fingerprints as a science and timeline, the progression, and accomplishments.

The purpose of collecting fingerprints is to identify an individual. This person may be the suspect, a victim, or a witness. There are three types of fingerprints that can be found: latent, patent, and plastic. (Crime Museum, 2016) Latent fingerprints are made of the sweat and oil on the skin’s surface. This type of fingerprint is invisible to the naked eye and requires additional processing in order to be seen. This processing can include basic powder techniques or the use of chemicals. Patent fingerprints can be made by blood, grease, ink, or dirt. This type of fingerprint is easily visible to the human eye. Plastic fingerprints are three-dimensional impressions and can be made by pressing your fingers in fresh paint,

There are many different types of conditions that can alter a fingerprint. Before being placed on the surface, a fingerprint can be altered based on the health of the skin, the types of residues on the skin. In addition, the fingerprint can be affected by things such as your age, gender, job, or even diseases. The surfaces’ conditions also come into play when leaving behind fingerprints. The material of the surface affects the fingerprint, as well as the temperature, surface residues, and the curvature of the surface. These effects can lead to false positives and other errors in fingerprint analysis because these distortions make there be less of the

Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.