fingerprint
an imprint made by ridge patterns on the tip of a finger, also used to describe the characteristic pattern of DNA fragments
microns
one-millionth of a meter or one-thousandth of a millimeter (2x10^-5 mm)
dactyloscopy
the study of fingerprints
19th century, William Herschel, India
When did dactyloscopy start, who started it, and where did it start?
a health missionary in Tokyo who published a scientific paper in 1880 about the possibility of using fingerprints to identify criminals; first to use fingerprints to solve a crime
Who was Henry Faulds?
unique, characteristic ridges; consistency over a person's lifetime; systematic classification used for fingerprints
Three properties that make a fingerprint useful for identification are...
Alphonse Bertillon
Who suggested using certain body measurements as discriminating characteristics to identify habitual offenders?
anthropometry
the science of human measurements
Francis Galton
Who published two books in which they showed how to classify fingerprints using loops, whorls, and arches?
fingerprints stay the same from birth until death; no 2 fingerprints are identical; prints cannot be altered; it is possible to classify a very large number of prints
What did Galton show in his two books?
Edward Richard Henry
Who simplified Galton's classification system?
Juan Vucetich
Who set up a workable fingerprint classification system based on Galton's method that has been refined and is used in Spanish-speaking countries?
1924
When was the Identification Division of the FBI formed?
100 million; 250 million
By 1946, the ID of the FBI held how many fingerprint cards? Now?
Human skin
_______ ______ is the body's first line of defense against invasion and infection.
Friction ridges
_________ ________ can be found on your fingerprints, palms, feet, and lips.
No
Are friction ridges genetically controlled?
No
Do twins have the same fingerprints?
papillae
These form a boundary that determines the friction ridge structure of the epidermis.
half salt and half complex organic compounds such as amino acids, lipids, vitamins, and perhaps additional body oils picked up on the finger by touching oily or hairy parts of the body
What are finger prints composed of?
loop
fingerprint pattern with one or more ridges entering from one side, curving, then going out on the same side entered
delta
triangular area found in all loop and whorl patterns
Ulnar loop
loop opens toward the little finger or the ulna bone on the right hand
Radial loop
loop opens toward thumb or radius bone on right hand
plain or tented (spike)
Arches can be:
delta; ridges
Loops must have one _____ and one or more _____ that enter and leave on the same side.
plain, central pocket, double loop, accidental
Four types of whorls:
ridge; circuit; 2
Whorls have at least one ______ that makes (or tends to make) a complete ______. They also have at least ______ deltas.
accidental
If a print has more than two deltas, it is most likely a(n) __________.
Double loop
________ _______ whorls are made up of any two loops combined into one print.
Accidental
__________ whorls contain two or more patterns (not including the plain arch), or does not clearly fall under any of the other categories.
60% loops
35% whorls
5% arches
What percentage of people have each type of fingerprint?
Ulnar
Which type of loop is more common?
core
center of the fingerprint pattern
arch
least common and simplest fingerprint pattern. No delta or core. All ridges enter one side, exit the other.
minutiae
in descriptions of fingerprints, ridge characteristics
8;12
Criminal courts will generally accept ___ to ___ points of similarity as sufficient proof.
plastic print
3D print made as indentations in soft material such as fresh paint, putty, or wax; also called an indented or molded print
visible print
fingerprint left by a finger that has touched blood, paint, ink, or the like
latent print
fingerprint made by the deposit of perspiration or body oils; invisible to the naked eye until developed
Fingerprint pattern defines what type of print a person has. Ridge characteristics mark the uniqueness of the fingerprint.
What is the difference between a fingerprint pattern and a ridge characteristic?
fine powder
What method of visualizing a latent print is most effective on hard, nonabsorbent surfaces?
Soft, porous surfaces like paper, styrofoam cups, etc.
On what type of surface can you develop latent prints with iodine, ninhydrin and silver nitrate?
Iodine - reacts with fatty oils from the finger to form a visible but short-lasting print; Ninhydrin - reacts with amino acids left by the finger to make an orange to purple image; Silver nitrate (AgNO3) reacts with salt left from perspiration in dried pr
Types of chemicals used to develop fingerprints and how they react:
ninhydrin
a biochemical reagent used to detect free amino and carboxyl groups in proteins and peptides; resulting color = Ruhemann's purple
Evaporating glue (cyanoacrylate ester) in an enclosed container
What method is used for developing latent prints on nonporous surfaces (metals, glass, adhesive tapes, plastic articles, etc.)?
Iodine Fuming, Ninhydrin, Superflue Fuming, Silver Nitrate
Four chemical methods:
bifurcations
common minutiae, shaped like 2-pronged fork
1999; Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
When was the IAFIS made and what does it stand for?
William A. Hamm, Jr. is kidnapped by Barker/Karpis gang who demand a ransom of more than $100,000. Taken to Wisconsin, forced to sign 4 ransom notes. Once money was given to kidnappers, Hamm was released. First case where the silver nitrate method was use
Describe the 1933 Hamm Kidnapping.
911 days after 9/11 there were coordinated train bombings in Madrid, Spain. Killed 191 people, wounded 2050. FBI arrested Brandon Mayfield, Oregon lawyer because Spanish police found a bag with detonating devices that had fingerprints identified by the FB
Describe the Madrid Bombings.
When an AFIS search is done and a positive "hit" is made, a list of possible candidates is created. Final verification for latent searches will always be made by a certified Latent Print Examiner in a manual side by side comparison and by an SPBI Identifi
How is the "final verification" made using the AFIS system?
Eccrine
secretes largely water, with both inorganic (ammonia, chlorides, metal ions, phosphates) and organic (amino acids, lactic acids, urea, sugars) compounds. Most important for fingerprints
Apocrine
secretes pheromones and other organic materials
Sebaceous
secretes fatty or greasy substances