1. Write Down the Letter of Your Evidence ______

Fingerprinting Major Lab

Name: ______

In Class

1.  Write down the letter of your evidence ______

2.  Dust your evidence for prints.

3.  Lift as many of the prints as you can find. YOU MUST OBTAIN AT LEAST ONE CLEAR PRINT.

  1. How to label your lift card:

On the front side (where the print goes): put your names and a letter for the print (A, B, etc)

On the back side: put date, time(s), and investigator name.

4.  Use a dissecting scope glass to compare your lifted prints to the 10-print cards of the suspects. Determine which fingerprint(s) might be a match.

5.  Take pictures of both your lifted print and the possible suspect matches.

At home

1.  Open up and magnify your print on a program such as paint.

2.  Mark up the magnified lifted prints and matching suspect’s prints to show similarities. On each print you should clearly and neatly label the overall pattern and any matching points of minutiae.

3.  Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

  1. What letter can did you examine?
  2. Can you match the prints to suspect? How confident are you in your match? Be sure to comment on the number of prints you found and how many points of minutiae match the prints. Courts will typically accept prints with 8-12 points of similarity.
  3. Was it difficult to find prints? Assuming the suspect did hold the can, what factors might make it difficult for you to find prints?
  4. Did you find any prints that matched NONE of the suspects? Why might that occur?
  5. Was it difficult to lift the prints you found? Are there any procedures that might work better?
  6. An average fingerprint contains 150-200 points of minutiae, yet courts accept only 8-12 points of similarity to match a print? Why might it be a challenge to find more points of similarity?

Due: 9/23

Rubric –

Category / Criteria / Points
Lifted prints / Student found and lifted at least one clear fingerprint. The print is clearly visible and well labeled (with evidence letter, investigator name, location, date, and time found). / 20
Labeled prints / Overall fingerprint pattern is correctly identified on all prints; at least 8 points of similarity are correctly identified and clearly labeled on the prints; everything is neat / 40
Identification / Investigators correctly identified both the suspect and the fingers used. / 10
Questions / All questions are answered thoughtfully and thoroughly. / 30
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