08/10/20 | 1

FINGERPRINT
CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
 Primary Classification
• The Henry Number Classification system was 1 2 31 32
developed by Edward Henry. 1
• This system allows all sets of fingerprints in the 2
world to be divided into 1,024 groups.
• The Henry Number is based on the presence of
whorls. All fingers are assigned a potential point
value. If a finger has a whorl of any type, that 31
number is used. If a finger does not have a 32
whorl, a 0 is used in that spot instead.
• This system is used for screening purposes.
• The even numbered finger value is used as the
numerator and the odd numbered finger value
is used as the denominator.
Right Index Right Ring Left Thumb Left Middle Left Little
Right Thumb Right Middle Right Little Left Index Left Ring 08/10/20 | 3
 Primary Classification
The Henry-FBI Classification System
Each finger is given a point value. Numbering started from Right Thumb

right left
Assign the number of points for each finger that has a whorl and substitute into the
equation:

Right Right Left Left Left

index ring thumb middle little
16 8 4 2 1 +1 =
Right Right Right Left Left
thumb middle little index ring
16 8 4 2 1 +1=

Example: Whorl on your left thumb and right middle finger.

0 + 0 + 4 + 0 + 0 +1 = 5 5 is your primary
0 + 8 + 0 + 0 + 0 +1 = 9 9 classification

That number is your primary classification number

08/10/20 | 5
 Rolled Print
FINGERPRINT
CHART
Primary
Classification
(10 digit
classification) Plain Print

08/10/20 | 6
TYPES OF FINGERPRINTS
 Types of Fingerprint
• Fingerprints found at a crime scene fall into
three main categories:
– Visible
• Easiest to spot
• Made by fingers that have been in contact with
colored materials (paint, ink, blood, etc…)
– Plastic
• Made by fingers pressing into a soft surface (putty,
wax, soap, dust)
– Latent
• Most common & hardest to see
• Made when natural oils & perspiration are
transferred to a surface by touch
• MUST BE ENHANCED
 DEVELOPMENT OF PATENT AND PLASTIC
FINGERPRINT
• Good source of imaging for patent prints
• Plastic impressions are usually photographed under oblique lighting that
enhances the contrast of the ridges and furrows.
• These prints may also be preserved with silicone-type casting materials.

08/10/20 | 9
 Latent Fingerprint
• •The word latent means hidden or unseen.

• Latent prints are undetectable until brought out with a

physical or chemical process designed to enhance latent
print residue.

• Affected by age, gender, stimuli, occupation, disease,

and any substances the subject may have touched prior to
deposition.

• After deposition: surface area, surface curvature/shape,

surface temperature, humidity, time since they were

placed and temperature.
10/8/20 | 10
 Enhancement based on surface
NON-POROUS
Eg. Glass, Mirror, Plastic, Painted Surfaces
ENHANCE WITH SUPER GLUE and/or POWDER

POROUS
Eg. Paper, Cardboard, Cloth
ENHANCE WITH CHEMICALS
 Powder
•Finely divided particles that physically adhere to the aqueous and oily components in
latent print residue on nonporous surfaces.
•One of the oldest and most common methods of latent print detection (1891).
•They have affinity for moisture and oily components in a print causes adhesion
•2 components.
•Pigment (for visualization)
•Binder (for adhesion to latent print residue).
•Pigments included lampblack, antimony trisulfide, lead iodide, lead oxide mercuric
oxide ,mercuric sulfide
•Adhesive materials included starch, kaolin, rosin, and silica gel
•Available in different colors 08/10/20 | 12
Visualization
Is done by reflected/absorbed light or fluorescence
Application
By soft fluffy brush with fine hairs usually made of animal skin. Stiff brushes can
damage the latent residue

08/10/20 | 13
 Ninhydrine
•First used in 1959 for forensics.
•Ninhydrin is used on porous surfaces like paper and wall.
•It reacts with free amines of lysine residue in proteins sloughed off in fingerprints
•Produces deep blue or purple color known as Ruhemann's purple.
•White solid, soluble in ethanol and acetone.
•Applied by spraying or dipping.
•Development is done in highly humid environment. Because water is necessary for
this reaction.
•Stored in dark place to avoid degradation.

08/10/20 | 14
08/10/20 | 15
 Iodine Fuming

• Principle: natural body fats and oils in sebaceous

material of a latent print temporarily absorb the iodine
vapors. This results in a change in color, from clear to a
dark brown, until the effect fades with time
• Iodine fuming is used to reveal prints on porous and
semiporous surfaces such as paper, cardboard, and
unfinished wood but not on metallic surfaces
• One of earliest methods
• Inexpensive and easy
• Non-destructive process - other techniques can be
used afterwards

10/8/20 | 16
 Method
• Iodine crystals are placed in the ceramic or glass dish
• Specimen to be processed is placed in the fuming
chamber
• Gently heating the crystals causes them to sublime
• The violet iodine vapor adheres selectively to
fingerprint residues, turning them orange
• photographed
• Semi-permanent by treating them with a starch
solution, which turns the orange stains blue-black
(persist for weeks to months)
• Benzoflavone is another after-treatment for iodine-
| 17 10/8/20 developed prints. Prints treated with benzoflavone are
effectively permanently fixed with a dark blue color.
Physical Developer
•Based on the interaction between lipids and fatty acids of
sweat residue with colloidal silver particles, silver has
affinity for them.
•Used for developing prints on wet surfaces because
Organic residues are insoluble in water so the physical
developer can detect latent impression.
•Produce dark gray or black impression
•Used on porous surfaces such as on paper, cardboard,
plastics and unvarnished, light- colored woods
•Used when ninhydrin and iodine fail to work
08/10/20 | 18
Silver Nitrate
Principle: The silver ions react with the chloride ions in salt contained in the latent
print residue to form silver chloride (AgCl), an insoluble salt which turns grey-black
when exposed to light
AgNO3 treatment effective because:
• The reaction to form the insoluble AgCl is quicker than the ability of the aqueous
carrier to dissolve away the soluble NaCl
• Under room light, the AgCl gradually converts by photo- reduction to elemental silver
of dark grey-black
• Efficient development with 254 nm.
• Silver Nitrate solution uses
1-3% w/v aqueous solution for porous surfaces
3% w/v ethanol-based solution for water repellent surfaces low absorbency of
such surfaces make developed fingerprints fragile

08/10/20 | 19
 Method
1.Spraying or immersion of surface with silver
nitrate solution
2.Rinsed with water after treatment to remove
excess silver nitrate
3.The treated surface is exposed to UV light
source which reduces AgCl to metallic silver,
revealing the prints as brown-gray-black stains
4.The developed prints are photographed
immediately and stored in the dark
08/10/20 | 20
 Amido Black
• Used to enhance bloody prints or detect them in
blood
• It interacts with proteins in blood and give black
impression
• Can be used on both porous and non-porous
surfaces, skin of corpses
• Used by mixing with methanol or water.
• Rinse the excess dye with distilled water.

10/8/20 | 21
Nano powders for Latent Fingerprint Visualization

Pandya and Shukla Egyp. J. Foren. Sci., 2018, 8, 57

 Simultaneous Detection of Fingerprint and
Explosive using Quantum dots
Cu-ZnCdS quantum dot using for imaging of latent fingerprints:
Simultaneous identification of individuals and traffic light-type visualization of
TNT

Wu et al Chem. Sci., 2015, 6, 4445-4450

RECORDING OF
FINGERPRINT
PRESERVATION OF
ENHANCED PRINTS

• PHOTOGRAPHY
• 1:1 SCALE

• LIFTING
• TAPE
• HINGED LIFTER
10/8/20 | 26
AFIS
§ The Automated Fingerprint Identification System - a computer system
for storing and retrieving fingerprints
§ Began in the early 1970’s to:
§ Search large files for a set of prints taken from an individual
§ Compare a single print, usually a latent print developed from a crime scene
§ By the 1990’s most large jurisdictions had their own system in place.
The problem - a person’s fingerprints may be in one AFIS but not in
others

§ IAFIS—the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification

system which is a national database of all 10-print cards from all over
the country
27
 AFIS Computerized Fingerprints
The AFIS provides automated fingerprint search capabilities, latent
searching capability, digital image storage, and digital exchange of
fingerprints.
• The AFIS system uses the rolled impressions or a combination of
the rolled and plain impressions of all fingers to compare the
unsolved chance print database.
Constitution of AFIS
• FACTS- Fingerprint Analysis and Criminal Tracing System.
• This part of AFIS deals with storage and retrieval of fingerprint
image. • The principal of FACTS is based on pattern recognition
theory.
•CADB- Criminal Attribute Data base.
• This part of AFIs deals with storage of criminal and conviction
details of culprit.
• VERIFIER- This software is used to verify the Ten digit Slips
and chance prints with database prints. 08/10/20 | 28
IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION
&
COMPARISON
OF
FINGERPRINT
Identify the pattern
Arch, whorl or Loop
Recognize the position of delta, core & Type line

CORE

DELTA

TYPE LINE
Evaluate the print
Ridge counting from delta to core
Identify the ridge characteristics (minutae) along with its position
Forged Fingerprint

08/10/20 | 32
08/10/20 | 33
Forensic applications Commercial applications
Corpse identification Computer network logon
Criminal investigation Electronic data security
Terrorist identification E-commerce
Parenthood determination Internet access
Missing children ATM,
credit card
Government applications Physical access control
National ID card Cellular phones
Correctional facility Personnel digital Assistance (PDAs)
Driver‘s license Medical record management
Social security Distance learning
Welfare disbursement
Border control
Passport control