Forensic Project Part I: Fingerprinting

1.                 History of Fingerprinting

1686 – Malpighi- In 1686, Marcello Malpighi, a professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna, noted in his treatise; ridges, spirals and loops in fingerprints. He made no mention of their value as a tool for individual identification. A layer of skin was named after him

1823 – Purkinje- In 1823, John Evangelist Purkinje, an anatomy professor at the University of Breslau, published his thesis discussing nine fingerprint patterns

1856 – Hershel- Sir William Herschel's private conviction that all fingerprints were unique to the individual, as well as permanent throughout that individual's life, inspired him to expand their use and first used fingerprints on native contracts

1863 - Coulier - Professor Paul-Jean Coulier, of Val-de-Grâce in Paris, publishes his observations that (latent) fingerprints can be developed on paper by iodine fuming, explains how to preserve (fix) such developed impressions and mentions the potential for identifying suspects' fingerprints by use of a magnifying glass

1880 - Faulds - First Latent Print Identification

1882 – Thompson- Gilbert Thompson of the U.S. Geological Survey in New Mexico, used his own thumb print on a document to prevent forgery. This is the first known use of fingerprints in the United States.

1883 - Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens)- In Mark Twain's book, "Life on the Mississippi", a murderer was identified by the use of fingerprint identification. In a later book by Mark Twain, "Pudd'n Head Wilson", there was a dramatic court trial on fingerprint identification

1888 – Galton- Was a British anthropologist and a cousin of Charles Darwin, began his observations of fingerprints as a means of identification in the 1880's and later published a book, establishing the individuality and permanence of fingerprints and included the first classification system for fingerprints.

1891-1892 – Vucetich- Began the first fingerprint files based on Galton pattern types and made the first criminal fingerprint identification in 1892

1900 – Henry- Established fingerprinting as a replacement for the relatively inaccurate Bertillon system of anthropometric measurement, which only partially relied on fingerprints for identification.

1901 – Henry- The Fingerprint Branch at New Scotland Yard (London Metropolitan Police) was created in July 1901 using the Henry System of Fingerprint Classification

1902- First systematic use of fingerprints in the U.S. by the New York Civil Service Commission for testing

1903- The New York State Prison system began the first systematic use of fingerprints in the U.S. for criminals

1905-1908- U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps begins using fingerprints.

1915- International Association for Identification was created

1918- Edmond Locard wrote that if 12 points (Galton's Details) were the same between two fingerprints, it would suffice as a positive identification

1924- In 1924, an act of congress established the Identification Division of the FBI.

1946- By 1946, the FBI had processed 100 million fingerprint cards in manually maintained files; and by 1971, 200 million cards.

With the introduction of automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) technology, the files were split into computerized criminal files and manually maintained civil files

1974- UK began organization of that country's first professional fingerprint organization, the National Society of Fingerprint Officers which was later renamed The Fingerprint Society

1977- At New Orleans, Louisiana on 1 August 1977, delegates to the 62nd Annual Conference of the International Association for Identification (IAI) voted to establish the world's first certification program for fingerprint experts called the Latent Print Certification Board

2005- INTERPOL's Automated Fingerprint Identification System repository exceeds 50,000 sets fingerprints for important international criminal records from 184 member countries

2011- The largest AFIS repository in America is operated by the Department of Homeland Security's US Visit Program, containing over 100 million persons' fingerprints, many in the form of two-finger records.

2.                     Types of fingerprints: be specific with direct, latent, and plastic

Direct Fingerprints: fingerprints deliberately collected from a subject, whether for purposes of enrollment in a system or when under arrest for a suspected criminal offense. These prints can be put into a system and can be collected by Live Scan or ink on paper cards.

Latent Fingerprints: any chance or accidental impression left by friction ridge skin on a surface, regardless of whether it is visible or invisible at the time of deposition. This can be a print left at a crime scene from the suspect.

Plastic Fingerprints: a friction ridge impression left in a material that retains the shape of the ridge detail. For example, a finger print left in clay, candle wax, or grease are all plastic fingerprints. This type of print can be easily photographed.

3.      Techniques/chemicals used to develop prints on nonabsorbent, porous, hard, and smooth surfaces.

Hard/ Non-absorbent/ Smooth surfaces:

·Different types of fingerprint powders can be used on hard, smooth, or non-absorbent surfaces.

o   For dark hard surfaces white powder made of aluminum dust can be used.

o   Black dust usually made of graphite and charcoal can be used to lift print from light surfaces.

o   Fluorescent powder can also be used, which when is photographed under ultraviolet light the print will stand out even against brightly colored or patterned surface.

Porous Surfaces:

· Iodine Fuming can be used to get print from porous surfaces when the article is examined by being placed inside an enclosed cabinet with iodine crystals and then heated. The iodine vapor given off by the crystals combines with traces of the print in a chemical reaction that leaves a visible pattern. When the process stops the print will begin to fade do it must be photographed very quickly.

· Ninhydrin spray forms a purple-blue color when combined with traces of amino acids in human perspiration and is applied by spraying onto a porous surface with an aerosol can.

o   Prints begin to appear within an hour or two, and can be developed faster if they are heated in an oven or on a hotplate at a temperature of 80○ to 100○ Celsius.

·Silver nitrate reacts with the salt in perspiration to form silver chloride, which in turn is revealed under ultraviolet light and the print will appear as a reddish-brown or black color.

·Superglue fuming can be applied by heating the object in a closed cabinet or by filling the hole of a closed space, such as the interior of an automobile, with fumes to reveal every latent print.

4.     Basic shapes/ patterns of finger prints.

Loops: A loop must have one or more ridges that enter from one side of the print, re-curve, and exit from the same side.

·Ulnar loops open to the little finger



·Radial loops open to the thumb

Whorls: All whorls contain one or more cores and a minimum of two deltas.

·A plain whorl and a central pocket loop have at least one ridge that makes a complete circuit.

 

·






Double loop whorls always have an “S” shape somewhere in the print

·Central Pocket loop whorls Re loops that contain a circle or spiral in the print.

·Accidental whorls consist of two different types of patterns and have two or more deltas. 

Arches: The ridges run from one side to the other of the pattern, making no backward turn.

·Plain arches have an even flow of ridges from one side to the other of the pattern

·Tented arches have an angle, an up thrust, or two of the three basic characteristics of the loop.

     In class each person had to create an alias and record all ten finger prints on a modus sheet. The we referred back to a handout provided for us to identify the shapes and patterns of each of our prints. Then we traded our modus sheets with someone else in the class so they could double check our answer and both come to a conclusion about the pattern of the prints.

5.   Procedures for collecting/ lifting fingerprints

Finger Print powders are dusted on the finger prints and adhere to tape and then placed against a contrasting background to be observed or placed in an automated system.

Iodine Fuming the print is placed inside an enclosed cabinet with iodine crystals and then heated. The iodine vapor given off by the crystals combines with traces of the print in a chemical reaction that leaves a visible pattern. When the process stops the print will begin to fade do it must be photographed very quickly.

Ninhydrin spray forms a purple-blue color when combined with traces of amino acids in human perspiration and is applied by spraying onto a porous surface with an aerosol can.

o   Prints begin to appear within an hour or two, and can be developed faster if they are heated in an oven or on a hotplate at a temperature of 80○ to 100○ Celsius.

Silver nitrate reacts with the salt in perspiration to form silver chloride, which in turn is revealed under ultraviolet light and the print will appear as a reddish-brown or black color.

Superglue fuming can be applied by heating the object in a closed cabinet or by filling the hole of a closed space, such as the interior of an automobile, with fumes to reveal every latent print.