Fingerprints

EXPERIMENT 2: FINGERPRINTS

INTRODUCTION

A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges of all or any part of the finger. A fingerprint is an individual characteristic which no two fingers have yet been found to possess identical ridge characteristics. Barring injuries or surgery causing deep scarring, or diseases such as leprosy damaging the formative layers of friction ridge skin, a fingerprint remains unchanged during an individual’s lifetime. Fingerprints offer an infallible means of personal identification. Other personal characteristics may change, but fingerprints do not. Fingerprints have 3 basic patterns such as loop, arch and whorl. Loops have a higher frequency among the people around the world which is 60%, whorls with 35% and only 5% of people have arches. Loops patterns have lines entering at one side of the finger and leaving on the same side. Whorls patterns have lines entering at the side of the finger and spiraling inward ending at the center. Arches have lines entering on one side of the finger and leaving on the opposite site. More crimes have been solved with fingerprint evidence than for any other reasons because the individuality of a fingerprint is not determined by its general shape or pattern but by a careful study of its ridge characteristics (minutiae) that can prove an identity of an individual, that is why many criminals cover their hands during the commission of their crimes.

OBJECTIVES

1. To become familiar with the main features of human fingerprints

2. To develop skills in dusting and lifting latent fingerprints

3. To compare fingerprints of suspects to fingerprints lifted from a simulated crime scene

PROCEDURE

Part A: Taking own fingerprints

1. The fingerprint pad provided is used rather than regular ink pads, our finger is rolled lightly across the pad and it appeared black but not too black.

2. The fingerprint is transferred cleanly to a piece of a paper.

3. The procedure is repeated for...