PERSONAL

– anything relating to or belonging to an individual.

IDENTIFICATION

– action or process of identifying someone or something or the fact being identified

PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION

- The process or techniques, or approaches, or means of establishing the identity of a particular person.

ORDINARY METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION

1. Occupational Marks- painter have stains, rough hand employed in hard manual labor
2. Race – Malay:brown; flat nose, round face, round head, wearing apparel
3. Structure- tips of middle fingers of both hands extended laterally
4. Tattoo Marks -
5. Weight – it is not good point because it may change from time to time
6. Deformities –particularly those leaving permanent scars of deformities(ex. Cleft lips)
7. Birth marks
8. Injuries leaving permanent records
9. Moles
10. Scar
11. Tribal marks
12. Sexual organ
13. Blood examination
SCIENTIFIC OR MEDICO-LEGAL METHODS
1. Fingerprinting /Dactyloscopy
2. Odontology - studying the dental structure; P.D 1975- requires practitioners of dentistry to keep record of
their patients for identification purposes if no other means of identification is available.
3. Determination of sex
4. Detemination of age
5. Blood and Blood Stains – determination of blood types
6. Hair and Fibers
7. Identification of skeleton – FORENSIC OSTEOLOGY or the Anthropometry by Alphonse Bertillon
8. DNA
RULES TO PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION
1. Law of Multiplicity of Evidence
2. The value of different points of identification varies in the formulation of conclusion.
3. The longer the interval between the death and the examination of the remains for purposes of identification,
the greater is the need for experts in establishing identity.
4. In as much as the object to be identified is highly perishable, it is necessary for the team to act in the
shortest possible time especially in cases of mass disaster.
5. There is no rigid rule to be observed on the procedure of identification of persons.
NATURE OF FINGERPRINTS
FINGERPINTS
– impression on a surface made by the ridge formation found in the terminal part of the fingers.
RIDGE
- long narrow chain of hills or mountains; tiny elevation
DUCTS
CREASES
HOW THE RIDGES ARE FORMED?
Looking at the tips of the fingers, or the palms of the hands, we cannot see any moisture. Only little lines which twist
and turn can be seen. Each one of these lines, are supplied with oil or moisture.
THE IMPORTANCE OR VALUE OF FINGERPRINTS
1. Prevent impersonation (changing personal data) – identification may be needed in some transactions, like
cashing of check, entering a premise, delivery of parcels or registered mail in post office, sale of property,
release of dead bodies to relatives, parties to a contract.
2. Speedily identify a wrongdoer(falsification, forgery)
3. Serve to give evidence – in the prosecution of criminal offense, the identity of the offender and that of the
victim must be established; otherwise it will be a ground of dismissal of the charge of the acquittal of the
accused.
4. Help to identify victims of disasters, calamities, floods, etc. – identification may be needed in some
transactions, like cashing of check, entering a premise, delivery of parcels or registered mail in post office,
sale of property, release of dead bodies to relatives, parties to a contract.
5. Identify bodies whose cadavers are beyond recognition
6. Aid the judiciary in penal treatment- fingerprinting of prisoners- AFIS(Automated Identification System) – a
computer based identification system that stored collected from individuals when one applies for police
clearance.
7. Prevent criminal substitution of the newly born
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF FINGERPRINTS
 KING HAMMURABI (1955-1913 BC) – used finger seals on contracts and law officers of the day were
authorized to secure fingerprints of arrested persons
 On the face of a CLIIF IN NOVA SCOTIA; there has been found prehistoric Indian picture writing of a hand
crudely marked ridge patterns.
 TANG DYNASTY (618-907 BC) – fingerprint being impressed upon business contracts.
- EMPEROR TE IN SHI – first on to use fingerprint in China.
 IN JUDEA AS STATED IN THE BIBLE(2THESSALONIANS 3:17)”THE SALUTATION OF PAUL WITH MY HAND,
WHICH IS TOKEN IN EVERY EPISTLE, SO I WRITE” Paul used his finger impressions as a distinctive signature.
 IN PERSIA 14TH CENTURY – a government official who was also a physician made the observation that no
fingerprints of two persons were exactly alike.(Principle of Individuality)
 IN OLD MEXICO – the Aztecs imposed their hands accidentally or intentionally on the molded and still soft
clays of their hand-made idols to serve as their lives to sacrifice for their idol-gods.
 IN FRANCE – numerous rock carvings and paintings featuring hand designs and fingerprints have been found
on the granite.
 IN BABYLONIA – first use of fingerprints for personal identification;
 IN CHINA –fingerprint is called “Hua Chi”
 IN JAPAN – deeds, notes and certificates to be used ad proofs were sealed by the mark of the hand (Palm-
print-“TEGATA” . in the treatment of criminals, the imprint of the thumb(bo-in or bo-an) was taken
 IN CONSTANTINOPLE – in a treaty of ratification, the sultan soaked his hand in a sheep’s blood and
impressed it on the document as his seal.
EARLY PUBLICATION CONCERNING FINGERPRINTS
 1684- NEHEMIAH GREW – described the ridges and pores of the hand and feet.
 1685 – GOVERT (OR GOVARD) BIDLOO – published a treaty describing sweat pores and ridges; he published
an anatomical atlas, Anatomia Hvmani Corporis in which he described papillary ridges identification using
fingerprints. – this was one of the pioneering scientific observations which aid the foundation of forensic
identification using fingerprints.
 1685 – MIDLO wrote a book “Human Anatomy,” in which he included a drawing of the thumb print showing
the ridge configuration o the whorl pattern.
 1686 – PROFESSOR MARCELO MALPHIGI – an Italian anatomis( Grandfather of Dactyloscopy) according to
Dr. Edmond Locard – (Father of Poroscopy) commented in his writings on elevated ridges on the fingertips
and alluded to diverse figures on palmar surfaces.
 1751 – CHRITIAN J. HINTZE – wrote on the ridge formation, but dealt with subject from the viewpoint of
anatomy rather than identification.
 1973 – the 58th Annual Conference of the International Association for Identification was held in Jackson,
Wyoming, its standardization Committe, herby stated that “no valid basis exixts at this time for requiring
that a pre-determined minimum of friction ridge characteristics must be present in two impressions in order
to establish positive identification”
  1788 – J.C.A MAYER –in his book he stated that although the arrangement of the skin ridges is never
duplicated in two persons, nevertheless, the similarities are closer among some individual. He found that the
fingerprints are never alike(Principle of Individuality)
 1823 – JOHANNES EVANGELIST PURKINJE- Father of Dactyloscopy; describing the ridges giving them names
and established certain rules for classification(nine group). He involves vague differentiation of fingerprints
or use them for identification.
 1856- HERMAN WELCKER – took his own palm. After 41 years later(1897) he printed the same palm to prove
that the prints do not change.( Principle of Permanency)
FINGERPRINTS AS METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION
 1858 – SIR WILLIAM J. HERSCHEL – Father of Chiroscopy(study of the palm print). He printed the palms of
natives in order to avoid impersonation among labourers.
 1880 – DR. HENRY FAULDS - recommend the use of a thin film printers of ink as a transfer medium and is
generally used today. He concluded that fingerprints patterns are unchangeable and that superficial injury of
the fingers did not alter them, they returned to their former design as the injury healed.
 SIR FRANCES GALTON – established the individuality of classifying fingerprint patterns.
 1882 – GILBERT THOMPSON – a geological surveyor; he used his own fingerprints in commissary orders to
prevent forgery.
 ISIAH WEST TABER- he advocated the use of the system for the registration of the immigrant Chinese.
 ALPHONSE BERTILLON –Anthropometry - measuring the skeletal remains. The bases of its method are –
a. Human skeleton is unchangeable after 20 years.
b. No to human being have exactly the same bones
c. Use of simple instrument(CALIPER)
 SIR EDWARD RICHARD HENRY – became interested in fingerprints and devised a classification of his own and
published his book and entitled Classification and uses of Fingerprints – Father of Fingerprint – the first man
to successfully apply fingerprints for identification.
 1892 FIRST MURDER – at La Plata, Argentina, a woman named Francisca Rojas who had murdered her two
sons and had cut her own throat, though not fatal, blames the attack on neighbour. Police Inspector Alvarez ,
solved the “Rojas Murder Case” with a bloody fingerprint found on a door -
 1894 – BRITAIN ADOPTS AN IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
 1911 –THE FIRST CONVICTION OF U.S – using fingerprint evidence.
 1915 – THE IAI (INT’L ASSOCIATION FOR CRIMINAL IDENTIFICATION) WAS ESTABLISHED
 1931 – THE FIRST PALMPRINT CASE
FINGERPRINTS DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES
 1900 – MR JONES – first to teach in the Philippines in the Philippine Constabulary.
 1918 – THE BUREAU OF PRISONS records show the carpetas( commitment and conviction records) already
bear fingerprints.
 1937 – MR. GENEROSO REYES – the first fingerprint technician.
1933 – THE FIRST CONVICTION based on fingerprints was handed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines
jurisprudence concerning fingerprinting. It accepted ten (10) points or identical ridge characteristic. PEOPLE VS.
MEDINA.
OTHER IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES IN THE STUDY OF FINGERPRINT
 THOMAS BEWICK (1753-1828) – an Englishman who used fingerprint as his signature by engraving them in a
wooden plate.
 EUGENE FRANCOIS VIDOCQ ( 1775-1857) – the chief of French Organization called Surete, who introduced
method of identifying criminals by memory(photographic eye). Police officers are required to remember his
facial characteristics as accurately as possible.
 ADOLPHE QUETELET (1796-1874) – developed a theory that there was a one to four chance of any two adult
persons having the same height.
 THOMAS TAYLOR – introduced the new system of palmistry. In his article, he cited that the markings of the
palms of the hand can possible used in identifying criminals.
 JOHN DILLINGER – a known criminal who tried to effaced his fingerprint by burning them with acid, but to no
avail. The acid temporarily destroys the fingerprint but the prints restore to its original formation few days
later
As long as the dermis of the bulbs of the fingers is not completely destroyed, the fingerprint will always
remain unchanged and indestructible.
  LOCARD AND WITKOWSJI- performed rather painful experiments on themselves by burning their fingertips
with boiling water, hot oil and hot metal had shown that after the healing of the epidermis(outer skin), the
original patterns of fingerprints reappeared.
 ROSCOE JAMES PITT(AKA ROBERT PHILIPS – a man was once considered as a man without fingerprint. He
surgically removed his fingerprint of the first joint of his fingers and covered it with another skin from his
chest.
EARLY METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION
 BRANDING
 MUTILATION
 TATTOING
 DESCRIPTIVE CLOTHING
 MEASUREMENT OF THE HEIGHT(QUETELE’S METHOD)
 PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE(EUGENE FRANCOIS VIDOCQ METHOD)
 PHOTOGRAPHING(DAGUERROTYPING)
 ANTHROPOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT
WILLIAM WEST AND WILL WEST
Will west arrived to serve his sentence in 1903 at Leavenworth Prison, identification personnel insisted that
he had been an inmate before. After being subjected to the Bertillon measurement, officials found the file of one
William West, whose measurements were virtually identical to the person calling him Will West. Even their
photographs showed a remark-able resemblance. But William West is still in prison serving a murder sentence. Their
respective fingerprints were taken, compared and they bore no resemblance. This unique case was established the
value of fingerprint identification in this country. It is interesting to note that late research indicated that Will and
William West were most likely mono zygote(identical) twins who were separated at a young age.

SOME IMPORTANT TERMS IN THE STUDY OF FINGERPRINT

 ANTHROPOMETRY – the art of personal identification through body measurement
 DACTYLOGRAPHY – is the art of fingerprint recording for identification purposes
 DACTYLOSCOPY – the science of fingerprint. It derives from the word “dactylos” which means finger, and
“skopein” which means “to examine= to examine fingers
 EDGEOSCOPY – the study of characteristic of the ridge edge for comparison purposes.
 FINGERPRINT – it is reproduction of some smooth surface of the hand form by the ridges and furrow.
 FRICTION RIDGE – raised strips of the skin in the inside of the end joints of the fingers and thumbs by which
fingerprints are made; it is sometime called papillary ridge or epidermal ridges.
 POLYDACTYLISM – the appearance of extra fingers as anatomically known.
 PORES – are tiny holes of the skin where sweat and other secretion may come out.
 RIDGEOLOGY – the study of the poroscopy, edgeoscopy and ridge characteristics for the purpose of the
positive identification of fingerprints.
ALLIED SCIENCES OF FINGERPRINT
 CHIROSCOPY – the science that deals with the study of the palm print in relation to identification.
 PODOSCOPY – the science that deals with the study of sole human foot for identification purpose.
 POROSCOPY – the science that deals with of the study human pores or sweat gland. This method of
identification is introduced by Edmond Locard.( Locard’s exchange principle)
CAN A PERSON BE FORCED TO BE FINGERPRINTED?
Yes. The authority is vested in the Opinion No. 204 series of 1939 made by the former secretary of justice Jose Abad
Santos. The opinion substantially said: “as long as the person is under legal arrest he can be forced to be
fingerprinted. A person under arrest who refuses to be fingerprinted may be prosecuted by disobedience to the
agent of the authority, defined in, and penalized by Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code.