FINGERPRINTS

History of Fingerprints
2000 BC
Fingerprints were used for
business transactions in Babylon.

221-206 BC

China had records about using hand

prints as evidence during
investigation.

221 BC- 220 AD

Fingerprints were used on clay seals to

“sign” documents.

14th Century

Official government documents

contained fingerprint impressions.
HISTORY OF FINGERPRINTING

 Chinese used fingerprints to

sign legal documents as far
back as three thousand years
ago
 William Herschel, an English
civil servant (India), required
natives to sign contracts with an
imprint of their right hand –
Hindu custom?
HISTORY OF FINGERPRINTING
 In 1880, Scottish physician, Henry
Fauld wrote that skin ridge patterns
could be important in identification work
 A thief left his fingerprint on a
whitewashed wall – compared with 1st
suspect - No match; compared with 2nd
suspect with positive association
HISTORY OF FINGERPRINTING
 Fauld offered to set up a system of
fingerprints at Scotland Yard (at his own
expense)
 Rejected in favor of the Bertillon System
 This decision reversed less than two
decades later
 HISTORY OF FINGERPRINTING

 Thefirst systematic attempt at

personal identification was
devised and introduced by the
French police expert,
Alphonse Bertillon, in 1883.
 Bertillon’s System

Relied on:
 Portraite Parlé – Detailed description of the
individual
 Full length and profile photographs
 Anthropometry – A system of precise body
measurements
ANTHROPOMETRY

 A method of identification
 Based upon the premise that the dimensions of
the human skeletal system remained fixed from
age 20 until death
 Eleven (11) measurements taken - to include
height, width of head & length of left foot
FRANCIS GALTON
 In 1892, published the classic work
Finger Prints
 In this book he discussed the anatomy
of fingerprints and suggested methods
for recording them
 Proposed three pattern types: loops,
whorls and arches
FRANCIS GALTON
 No two prints are identical
 An individual’s prints remain
unchanged from one year to the
next
 SIR EDWARD HENRY
 Englishman
 In 1897, proposed another classification
system which is still in use today
 Most English-speaking countries use
some version of Henry’s classification
system
 In the
United States
 1901 – First systematic use of
fingerprints adopted by the New York
Civil Service Commission
 1904 – American police received
training in fingerprint techniques from
Scotland Yards representatives
 1924 – Fingerprint records from the
Bureau of Investigation and
Leavenworth merged to form records for
the new FBI
Admissibility of Fingerprints
 Challenged in the case of United States v.
Byron C. Mitchell
 Argued under Daubert guidelines that
fingerprints were not unique
 Judge upheld admissibility and ruled:
1. Human friction ridges are unique
and permanent
2. Human friction ridge skin arrangements
are unique and permanent
PHYSIOLOGY OF
FINGERPRINTS
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

FIRST PRINCIPLE:

Friction Ridges develop

their Unique form
in the fetus
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

SECOND PRINCIPLE:

A Fingerprint will remain

LARGELY UNCHANGED
during an
Individual’s Lifetime
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

THIRD PRINCIPLE:

Friction Ridge Patterns

and their details
are UNIQUE

No Two Fingers have yet been

found to possess IDENTICAL
RIDGE CHARACTERISTICS
(even identical twins!!)
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

FOURTH PRINCIPLE:

FINGERPRINTS CAN BE

SYSTEMATICALLY CLASSIFIED by

GENERAL RIDGE PATTERNS

 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

MINUTIAE - Ridge Characteristics

Define Individuality

• IDENTITY
• NUMBER
• RELATIVE LOCATION
• COMPARE POINT BY POINT
• POSSIBLY 150 POINTS ON THE AVERAGE
FINGERPRINT
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

MINUTIAE - Ridge Characteristics

Define Individuality
HOW MANY POINTS
MAKE A MATCH?
Depends on experience and
knowledge of the examiner
Usually 8 to 16
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

FRICTION SKIN RIDGES

Palm Side of Fingers and Thumbs
Soles of Feet
Provide Firmer Grasp
Resistance to Slippage
Lines corresponding to
Hills (ridges) & Valleys (grooves)
 SKIN
COMPOSED OF
LAYERS OF CELLS

EPIDERMIS - OUTER

DERMIS - INNER LAYER

DERMAL PAPILLAE -
IN BETWEEN
Formation of Fingerprints
 Skin consists of:
• Inner layer—dermis
• Outer layer—epidermis
• Basal layer in between
 Basal layer grows faster than the layers above and
below it
 Basal layer collapses and folds to form intricate
shapes
 Fingerprints begin forming near the 10th week of
pregnancy
 SKIN

SKIN RIDGES CONTAIN PORES

Openings for ducts from sweat glands
Perspiration discharged to surface of skin
Transfer is called LATENT FINGERPRINTS
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

ARCHES
5%
LOOPS
60% - 65%
WHORLS
30% - 35%
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

ARCHES - least common of three general

patterns
• RIDGES ENTER ONE SIDE OF PATTERN
AND EXIT ANOTHER

• PLAIN ARCHES - wavelike pattern

• TENTED ARCHES - sharp spike
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

LOOPS - most common type

• Ridges enter one side and exit same side
• ULNAR LOOP - opens toward little finger
• RADIAL LOOP - opens toward thumb
 FUNDAMENTALS OF FINGERPRINTS

LOOPS -
• CORE

• TYPE LINES

• DELTA
Characteristics of Fingerprints
 Forensic examiners look for
• Core
(the center of a whorl or loop)
• Deltas
(triangular regions near a
loop)
 Ridge count
• Counting from the core to the
edge of the delta
• Distinguishes one fingerprint
from another
 FUNDAMENTALS
FUNDAMENTALS OF
OF
FINGERPRINTS
FINGERPRINTS

WHORLS - FOUR TYPES

• Plain
• Central pocket loop
• Double loop
• Accidental
 ALL HAVE TWO DELTAS & TYPE LINES
 Basic patterns can be further divided:
 Arch patterns:
 4% plain
 1% tented
 Whorl patterns:
 2% central pocket
 4% double loop
 0.01% accidental
 Even twins have unique fingerprints
FINGERPRINT

DEVELOPMENT
Types of Fingerprints

VISIBLE -

RIDGES PLACED ON A SURFACE

AFTER CONTACT WITH A
COLORED MATERIAL
(blood, paint,grease, ink)
Types of Fingerprints

PLASTIC -

RIDGES LEFT ON A SOFT

MATERIAL
(putty, wax, soap, dust)
Types of Fingerprints

LATENT -
HIDDEN OR INVISIBLE
TRANSFER OF BODY PERSPIRATION
OR OILS
MUST BE ENHANCED
Types of Surfaces

NON-POROUS
GLASS, MIRROR, PLASTIC,
PAINTED SURFACES

ENHANCE WITH SUPER GLUE

and/or POWDER
Types of Surfaces

POROUS
PAPER, CARDBOARD, CLOTH

ENHANCE WITH CHEMICALS

METHODS OF ENHANCEMENT
FINGERPRINT POWDERS
 BLACK (white surfaces)
 GRAY (dark surfaces)
 FLUORESCENT (multi-colored
surfaces)
 MAGNETIC (leather or rough plastic)
 ADHERES TO PERSPIRATION
and/or BODY OILS
 METHODS OF ENHANCEMENT

CHEMICALS
IODINE FUMING
NINHYDRIN -
- REACTS WITH PROTEINS
PHYSICAL DEVELOPER -
- SILVER NITRATE BASED
- USED WHEN OTHER METHODS
UNSUCCESSFUL
 METHODS OF ENHANCEMENT

CHEMICALS
SUPER GLUE FUMING -
• CYANOACRYLATE ESTER
• NON-POROUS SURFACES
• CREATE FUMES WITH HEAT

• PORTABLE WAND AVAILABLE

 METHODS OF ENHANCEMENT
FLUORESENCE

 PERSPIRATION CONTAINS COMPONENTS THAT
FLUORESCE WHEN ILLUMINATED WITH LASER
LIGHT


 HIGHLY SENSITIVE

 ALTERNATE LIGHT SOURCE
• QUARTZ HALOGEN
• ZENON ARC
• INDIUM ARC

 DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH DNA TESTING
How are latent fingerprints
developed?
PRESERVATION AND
COMPARISON OF
FINGERPRINTS
PRESERVATION OF ENHANCED
PRINTS

PHOTOGRAPHY
• 1:1 SCALE

LIFTING
• TAPE
• HINGED LIFTER
PRESERVATION OF ENHANCED
PRINTS

DIGITAL IMAGING
• SCANNER
• DIGITAL CAMERA
• VIDEO CAMERA
• ENHANCE WITH FILTERS, CONTRAST OR
BRIGHTNESS
• REMOVE BACKGROUND COLORS
• SCALING / RESIZING TOOLS
• SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON
AFIS

Automated
Fingerprint
Identification
System
 AFIS
Automatic Scanning
Devices Convert Fingerprint
Image into Digital Minutiae

• RIDGE ENDINGS
• BIFURCATIONS
 AFIS
Types of Databases

• Arrest Prints (KNOWNS)

• Forensic Prints (CRIME SCENE)

 AFIS
SEARCH ALGORITHM
DETERMINES DEGREE OF
CORRELATION BETWEEN
THE QUESTIONED AND
KNOWN PRINTS
AFIS
 THOUSANDS OF COMPARISONS
PER SECOND
 ALL SELECTED PRINTS VERIFIED
BY TRAINED EXAMINER
 STANDARDS ENABLE AGENCIES TO
EASILY EXCHANGE DATA
Fingerprint Forensic FAQs
o Can fingerprints be erased?
Only temporarily; they will grow back if removed with chemicals
o Is fingerprint identification reliable?
Yes, but analysts can make mistakes
o Can computers perform matches in
seconds?
No, but the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (IAFIS or AFIS) can provide a match in 2
hours
The Future of Fingerprinting
o New scanning technologies
• Yield detail in minute patterns
• Reduce analytical mistakes
• Analyze trace elements of objects on the skin
o Technologies that recognize patterns in
• Retina
• Face
• Veins in your palm
FINGERPRINT EXAMINER
 4 YEAR DEGREE
 2+ YEARS TRAINING
 CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
• Written Test
• Proficiency Test
• Continuing Education
 International Association for Identification
(IAI)