Fingerprints

1. Fingerprints Chapter 14 – Saferstein’s Criminalistics

2. Mastery Objectives • Identify the historical breakthroughsin the field of fingerprinting. • Describe the types of crime scene fingerprints • Describe how fingerprints are classified. • Describe how fingerprints are analyzed using the Henry system • Describe the process of ink and rolling prints. • Identify three principles of fingerprints as a result of a landmark case.

3. Fingerprints • Known as dactyloscopy • Dactyl (n), Greek origin dactylos meaning “finger” or “toe” • Credit is given to Sir Edward Henry in 1901. • Dactyloscopy is defined as the classification of fingerprints by examining the ridge characteristics of the fingers.

5. 1. Historical Breakthroughs • 1858, Contracts with Indian natives were required to give a right hand imprints from William Herschel in India. • 1880, Physician Henry Fauld noted that ridge patterns are important to identifying criminals First latent fingerprint. • 1883, French police officer Alphonse Bertillion used full length & profile images (the “mug shot”) and a system of body measurements called Anthropometry • 1888, Francis Galton (Charles Darwin’s cousin) publishes Finger Prints which outlines fingerprint anatomy. Introduces the three patterns: loops, arches, & whorls. Galton also claims that no two people have the same prints and never change from year to year.

6. Historical Breakthroughs • 1891, Argentinian, Juan Vucetich fine tuned Galton’s classification system by creating a filing system. • Sir Edward Richard Henry, 1897 proposed a new classification and filing system that would be accepted by Scotland Yard. • 1900, Henry’s book "The Classification and Use of Fingerprints." The committee recommended adoption of fingerprinting as a replacement for the relatively inaccurate Bertillon system of anthropometric measurements.

7. Anthropometry • Defined as a specific branch of anthropology concerned with systematic measurements of the human body • Alphonse Bertillon (1853–1914), was a French criminologist and anthropologist created the first system of physical measurements, photography, and record-keeping that police could use to identify recidivist criminals. • In 1883, Paris police adopted the Bertillonage system of 243 body measurements.

8. A photograph from Alphonse Bertillon's photo album from his exhibition at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

12. Bertillonage system’s demise • In 1903, the Bertillionage system was dealt a big blow when a convict named Will West (1) arrived a Fort Leavenworth Prison in Missouri. • A routine check unveils that a William West (2) was already an inmate. The records matched exactly! • In fact, the two prisoners almost looked like twins

13. Fingerprinting finally hits U.S. • 1904, World’s Fair – St. Louis, Mo. • U.S. officials are trained in the Henry system by Scotland Yard officers

14. Birth of the F.B.I. • 1924, records at Leavenworth in Kansas were merged with the U.S. Bureau to form the Federal Bureau of Investigation. • J. Edgar Hoover was director from 1924 – 1975.

15. Types of crime scene prints • Visible or exemplars • Latent • Making them visible by use of powder or chemicals • Plastic prints – • Soap, soil, clay or even chewing gum

16. Best place to find fingerprintswhen a home is broken into?

17. Looking for prints on an abandoned car?

18. Fingerprint anatomy & classification • Friction ridges & valleys called minutiae are found on: • Fingertips • Palms • Toes • Soles of feet • Formed in the fetus before birth • Never change!

19. Loops • A loop must have one or moreridgesentering from one sideofthe print, re-curving, and exiting from the same side. • Two focal points in a loop • Core • delta

21. Whorls • Friction ridges in whorls form a circular pattern in the middle. • Whorls are divided into four groups: • plain, • central pocket loop • double loop • accidental. • Focal points • Core • 2 or more deltas

22. Arches • Arches have friction ridges that enter from one side and rise in the center and then exit opposite side. • no focal points tented arch Simple arch

24. Principle One • Fingerprints are unique. • No two fingers have the same ridge characteristics. • The individuality of a fingerprint is not determined by its general shape or pattern, but by the ridge characteristics, known as minutiae.

25. Principle Two • Fingerprints remain unchanged during an individual’s lifetime • Skin ridges correspond to fingerprint impressions. • Outlaw John Dillinger used corrosive acid to destroy his prints. He failed.

26. Principle Three • Fingerprints have general ridge patterns so they can be systematically classified. • Three classes: • Loops – 60-65% of U.S. population • Whorls- 30-35% • Arches – 5%

27. United States vs. Byron Mitchell • In 1998, Byron Mitchell was arrested for robbery.  The arrest was supported by the apparent match of his fingerprints with small portions of two fingerprints found on the getaway car.  • His public defenders argued that fingerprint comparison techniques did not meet the five criteria for admissibility established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Daubertdecision,  particularly the fifth: that the potential rate of error is known.  • The Mitchell defense petitioned the court for a Dauberthearing to determine the admissibility of fingerprint match as “scientific” evidence.  • Five day Dept. of Justice defense of fingerprinting ensued. • Judge Curtis Joyner upheld the decision that fingerprints were admissible evidence.

28. The Decision • Government request for judicial notice was granted for two premises: 1) “...that human friction ridges are unique and permanent throughout the area of friction ridge skin, including small friction ridge areas...” and 2) “...friction ridge skin arrangements are unique and permanent...”