Fingerprints

1. Fingerprints

2. History of Fingerprinting • 1st attempt at a personal identification system • Introduced by French police expert Alhonse Bertillon in 1883 • Called Bertillon system • Relied on a detailed description (portrait parle) of the subject, combined with full length and profile photographs and system of precise body measurement (anthropometry)

3. Anthropometry • Rested on the premise that the dimensions of the human bone system remained fixed from the age of 20 until death • It was thought that no 2 skeletons could have the same measurements • 11 measurements of the human anatomy was recommended • Height, reach, width of head, length of left foot

5. A Bertillon "booking" Card

6. Bertillon Fingerprint Card

7. What happened to Bertillon in 1903? • In 1903, a prisoner by the name Will West was sentenced to incarceration at the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. • During his inprocessing, the records clerk obtained Will West's Bertillon measurements and photograph. • Will West denied ever being incarcerated at the facility.

8. Will West's Bertillon Measurements178.5; 187.0; 91.2; 19.7; 15.8; 14.8; 6.6; 28.2; 12.3; 9.7

9. The records clerk, having referenced his Bertillon measurements into the system, retrieved the Bertillon card for a William West. • Will West denied that the William West card was his. • Subsequent investigation disclosed that William West had previously been incarcerated in the facility until September 9, 1901.

10. William West's Bertillon Measurements 177.5; 188.0; 91.3; 19.8; 15.9; 14.8; 6.5; 27.5; 12.2; 9.6; 50.3

11. William West Will West

12. By examining the photographs, one can see the failure of the Bertillon system. • Compare the Bertillon measurements in particular, keeping in mind the various factors that would affect the measurements. • This failure strengthened the science of fingerprints as the normally accepted method of personal identification. • The authorities compared their fingerprints and determined that Will West was not the previously recorded William West

13. Bertillon system was considered most accurate for 2 decade • In the 1900’s a new system of classification of finger ridge patterns emerged, known as fingerprints • Fingerprints are the pillar of modern criminal identification

14. 1st person to realize the potential application of fingerprinting to personal identification – Henry Fauld a scottish physician • recognized the importance of fingerprints as a means of identification, but devised a method of classification as well. • He discussed fingerprints as a means of personal identification, and the use of printers ink as a method for obtaining such fingerprints. • he is also credited with the first fingerprint identification of a greasy fingerprint left on an alcohol bottle.

16. Sir Francis Galton, a British anthropologist and a cousin of Charles Darwin, began his observations of fingerprints as a means of identification in the 1880's • According to his calculations, the odds of two individual fingerprints being the same were 1 in 64 billion. • Galton identified the characteristics by which fingerprints can be identified. These same characteristics (minutia) are basically still in use today, and are often referred to as Galton's Details.

18. In 1891, Juan Vucetich, an Argentine Police Official, began the first fingerprint files based on Galton pattern types. At first, Vucetich included the Bertillon System with the files. (see Bertillon below) • In 1892, Juan Vucetich made the first criminal fingerprint identification. He was able to identify a woman by the name of Rojas, who had murdered her two sons, and cut her own throat in an attempt to place blame on another. • Her bloody print was left on a door post, proving her identity as the murderer.

19. Juan Vucetich

20. 3 basic types of fingerprint impressions • Latent • Most frequent • Visible to eye • Formed by sweat • Developed by grey or black powder or iodine fuming • Durability of a latent print is variable and governed by several factors but if made on a hard, protected surface and left untouched, it is virtually permanent • Have been found & developed on objects in ancient tombs

21. Visible • Most legible kind • Results from fingers stained with blood or ink or similar medium • Rarely found at crime scene

22. Plastic or molded • Impression made on a soft surface such as cheese, soap or putty

23. Common Types of Fingerprints • Fingerprint patterns are divided into three main groups consisting of: Arches, Loops and Whorls. • Approximately five percent of all fingerprints are Arches, 30% are Whorls and 65% are Loops.

24. Fingerprint Patterns • Arch • In an arch pattern the ridges enter from one side, make a rise in the center and exit generally on the opposite side.

25. Fingerprint Patterns • Tented Arch • The tented arch pattern consists of at least one upthrusting ridge, which tends to bisect superior ridges at right angles, more or less.

26. The Arch pattern has no delta or core; but, it too, must be fully recorded so that its individual characteristics can be readily distinguished.

27. A Whorl pattern will have two or more deltas. For a whorl pattern, all deltas and the areas between them must be recorded.

28. Simple Whirl • The whorl pattern consists of one or more free recurving ridges and two points of delta. • When the line of the fingerprint disc is placed on the two points of delta, it will bisect at least one of the ridges belonging to the core group.

29. Fingerprint Patterns • Twinned Whirl • the recurving ridges present two loop formations, separate and apart • There are two points of delta. • The flows for the deltas originate from the same side of the pattern.

31. In the Loop pattern there are two focal points: • the Core, or the center of the loop, and the delta. • The Delta is the area of the pattern where there is a triangulation or a dividing of the ridges. • When recording fingerprints, the delta and the area between the delta and the core must be completely recorded.

33. Fingerprint Impression Types • Two types of impressions • First type is referred to as “rolled” • Upper ten impressions are taken individually, thumb, index, middle, ring, and little fingers of each hand. • Fingers are rolled from one side of the fingernail to the other, in order to obtain all available ridge detail.

34. Second type of Impression is the “plain”, “slapped” or “flat” • Impressions at the bottom of the card are obtained simutaneously without rolling • Print all of the fingers at a forty-five degree angle and then the thumbs. • Plain impressions are used to verify the sequence and accuracy of the rolled impressions.

36. Basic Fingerprint Equipment • Fingerprints can be recorded with any of the following materials: • • Ink (Black Printers Ink) and Paper (Standard Fingerprint Card, • Chemicals and Paper (Standard Fingerprint Card) • • Livescan.

37. Basic Procedure for Fingerprinting • Recommended height for the fingerprinting device (Card or Live-Scan) is approximately thirty-nine inches from the floor. • Allow the forearm of an average adult being fingerprinted to be parallel to the floor • Best position to roll and record fingerprints. • If fingerprinting device is not at this height, care must be taken or the finger tends to rise off the device. • If this happens, the technician will fail to capture the lower portion of the first joint and necessary ridge detail will be missing.

38. Steps for Fingerprinting • 1. Fingers to be printed must be clean and dry. • Wiping the individual's fingers with an alcohol swab and then drying them should prevent perspiration from being a problem. • If the individual's occupation has caused a wearing down or rough surface on the fingers, use lotion to soften the fingers (be sure to wipe the lotion off before printing).

39. 2. Position the individual • Individual being fingerprinted should be asked to stand in front of and at a forearm's length from the fingerprinting device. • Individual should stand to the right and rear of the person taking the fingerprints

40. 3. Encourage the individual being fingerprinted to relax. • Ask them to look at some distant object to distract them from what you are doing.

41. 4. Grasp the individual's right hand at the base of the thumb with your right    hand. • Cup your hand over the individual's fingers, tucking under those fingers not being printed. • Guide the finger being printed with your left hand.

42. 5. Ink and paper Method • Roll the finger on the inking plate or Porelon Pad so that the entire fingerprint pattern area is evenly covered with ink. • Ink should cover from one edge of the nail to the other and from the crease of the first joint to the tip of the finger. • Using the right amount of ink is of vital importance. Too little ink and the impression will be too light. Too much ink and the fine details will run together.

44. 6. Performing the rolled impression, • Side of the bulb (see illustration above) of the finger is placed upon the paper fingerprint card or the fingerprinting device, and the finger is rolled to the other side until it faces the opposite direction. • Care should be exercised so the bulb of each finger is rolled evenly from tip to below the first joint. • Generally, the weight of the finger is all the pressure needed to clearly record the fingerprint.

45. 7. In order to take advantage of the natural movement of the forearm, the hand    should be rotated from the more difficult position to the easiest position.    This requires that the thumbs be rolled toward and the fingers away from    the center of the individual's body. This process relieves strain and leaves    the fingers relaxed when rolling so that they may be lifted easily without    danger of slipping which smudges and blurs the fingerprints.

46. 8. Roll each finger from nail to nail in the appropriate space taking care to lift    each finger up and away after rolling, to avoid smudging.

47. 9. If using the ink and paper method and a rolled impression is not acceptable,    you may use an adhesive re-tab to cover the fingerprint in its space. (No    more than one re-tab per finger block is permitted.) For live scan, the    image can be deleted and retaken.

48. 10. Plain impressions are printed last, at the bottom of the card. • The technician simultaneously presses the individual's four fingers (on the right hand), keeping the fingers together, on the surface of the fingerprint card or the fingerprinting device at a forty-five degree angle • This process captures all four fingers in the allotted space (see illustration). • Repeat this process for the left hand. • Print both thumbs simutaneously in the plain impression thumb blocks (to ensure that they are in the proper spaces).

50. 11. If using the ink and paper method, complete the information at the top of the      fingerprint card (masthead). • If using live scan, complete the required      information.