Real-Life Communication
Fingerprint experts spend a great deal of their time talking about their work. One of the types of communication they do is in the courtroom.
Imagine you are on the stand in a murder trial, preparing to testify about your opinion on whether the fingerprints of the person on trial were found at the scene.
The lead prosecutor wants to start by asking you to provide some basic information and definitions on fingerprints, so that jurors have an understanding of your testimony.
Using the following definitions from the Southern California Association of Fingerprint Officers, answer the questions below. Remember to make your answers simple and clear
Latent print: results when oil and sweat forms on the ridges at the tip of the finger, known as friction skin. It can be captured through dusting or use of infrared light.
Inked print: a reproduction of the ridges of the finger with black fingerprint ink on an exemplar form.
Latent print examiner: someone knowledgeable in all areas of the science of fingerprint identification including history, methods of classifying, procedures for locating, processing and preserving latent prints at the crime scene or in the lab.
Print ID: the science of matching fingerprints based on a host of characteristics, including the overall shape and size and minute variations in the ridges of the print.
Questions
- Can you tell us how fingerprints are made?
- What is the difference between latent and inked prints?
- Why is fingerprint ID effective?