Why Fingerprint Analysis Is Used For The Sake Of Forensic Analysis

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

During the research, there were a number of experiments conducted to determine the best approach to imaging latent fingerprints. These experiments were divided into phases and each phase served as a building block for the next phase.

Center, National Forensic Science Technology. (2015, January 27). Principles of Fingerprint Analysis. Retrieved from Forensic Science Simplified: http://www.forensicsciencesimplified.org/prints/principles.html

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

The use of fingerprinting as a means of identification was born out of the need of law enforcement officials to have permanent records that could determine if a convict had been previously arrested or imprisoned. Before the advent of fingerprinting, law enforcement used a number of different methods to try to accomplish this. Ancient civilizations would tattoo or physically maim prisoners. In more recent times, daguerreotyping (that is, photographing) was used, but proved to be less than reliable, because people had the ability to dramatically alter their appearance (Skopitz). As a result, this method too, became obsolete with the discovery of fingerprinting, an absolutely infallible

Fingerprint comparison has always interested me because of the uniqueness in friction ridge detail. As a fingerprint expert, you learn that there are no two individual in the world that have the same fingerprints. Individuals can share the same DNA but their fingerprints will always be different. Examiners may be able to find two fingerprints that have many of the same characteristics, but not exactly the same as in the case of the Madrid bombing. The basics of fingerprint comparison will always be the same. However, it fascinates me how procedures change, and make fingerprint comparison more of a science.

The Fairfield Police department put my partner and I to the test by making us figure out which handprint matched the way a syringe would be held. We used our deductive reasoning skills to find out which handprint was correct. We realized that there were actually two handprints, handprint “G,” and handprint “F,” that were very similar to each other and both had seemed accurate. By using our skills we determined that the correct handprint is actually handprint “G” because of all the little details that made “G” a better choice than “F.”

Friction ridge evidence has always been considered infallible in crime investigation and conviction of those involved. Traditionally, latent print examiners have presented identification testimony in courts with an explanation of identification or with a charted enlargement of matching and latent print. [1]

The automated Fingerprint Identification System is also known as the AFIS within the law enforcement division (FBI, 2010). This system is an important element in the criminal justice system as some of its features encompass the storing of data, encoding, and fingerprint and facial comparison through graphics and other techniques. Law officials many centuries ago in the pursuit of positively identifying someone suspected of guilt have long used fingerprints techniques. Fingerprinting is also used in branches of our government, and in the Pentagon, the authentication method of fingerprints is used permit access to specified zones inside the building. Fingerprints are an effective and very precise method of identification purposes that does not pose

“Fingerprint recognition is one of the divorce inference using the impressions made by the minute ridge formations or patterns found on the fingertips. No two people have exactly the same arrangement of the ridge patterns, and the remaining patterns of any one individual unchanged. Fingerprints infallible provide a means of personal identification. Other personal characteristics may change, but not fingerprints”. (1)

The visualisation of latent fingerprints is enhanced by the adherence of enhancement materials to the chemical constituents found in latent fingerprints. The most common enhancement techniques employed to improve the visibility of latent fingerprints are fingerprint powder dusting, cyanoacrylate fuming and ninhydrin [Lee & Gaensslen 2001]. These methods are inexpensive, fast and efficient. However, these techniques may affect the useful chemical characteristics and physical traces of residual evidence which can be obtained from latent fingerprints.

Fingerprints are friction ridge impressions of the finger that when analyzed, are used to identify an individual. However, no two fingerprints are the same. On the surface of one 's skin, there are pores that produce sweat out of the small sweat glands called eccrine. This watery compound leaves a residue on a surface which forms the basis of a latent print. When a fingerprint is found, previous methods of comparison relied on the visual match from the evidence collected and the suspect. However with the use of technology, IAFIS, Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System was developed. This system allows for the storage of millions of prints that can be compared to the national database of over 40 million offenders (O 'Donovan, 2014).

Fingerprints, known for each person to have unique ones, are made of a series of ridges and furrows on 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.

There are three types of fingerprints that could be left at a crime scene. The three types are latent, patent, and plastic. Latent fingerprints are made from the oil and sweat on the surface of a person’s skin. This type of print is invisible by the naked eye and requires processing for visibility purposes. The process can be done using chemicals or powder. Patent fingerprints are made from blood, ink, dirt, or grease and they are visible by the naked eye. Plastic fingerprints are made when a person presses on wax, paint, or soap and they are visible by the naked eye. The three types of fingerprints help investigators discover who was at the crime scene which can possibly lead to the arrest of suspects.