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The Philosophy of Friction Ridge Examination ...see an interesting presentation by Boyd Baumgartner (via vimeo).  Here is a link to other vimeo presentations he has created.  You can also take Boyd's practice Ten Print Certification test at www.fs2d2.com

 


Tips, Tricks and Best Kept Secrets (Universal Latent Workstation and NGI) presented 11 August 2011 by Jeff Carlyle at the 96th Annual IAI Educational Conference.
  


   
Latent Print Development Techniques for Thermal Paper presented 10 August 2011 by Aldo Mattei and Federico Cervelli at the 96th Annual IAI Conference.
   


  
Chicken or the Egg: Process for Latent Prints or DNA First? presented 9 August 2011 by Diana Tabor and Karley Hujet at the 96th Annual IAI Conference.
  

 

 
Community of Fingerprint Experts in Columbia


Fingerprint Sourcebook - now available here. This is the sourcebook that many of us have heard about (and worked on) in recent years. 
    

Get the Latest Version of Universal Latent Print Workstation (ULW 6.0 plus)...  Even if You Do Not Currently Submit Latent Print Searches Directly to the FBI, You Can Use ULW Extended Feature Set Capabilities to Help with Casework Documentation of Level 1, 2 and 3 Information.  ULW now includes improved casework management tools.   


SWGFAST Glossary and other Documents  


NIST Latent Fingerprint Home Page


 

NAS Report:  Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward

  

Access the 41-page Free Executive Summary here.

 

Report Description from the National Academies Press

"Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community.

The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs."

 

News Release on the report.

  

Access the report here

NAS
                                                          Report image

Webcast of the 18 Feb 2009 NAS briefing.

 


 

New forensic term after 18 Feb 2009 (?):  

Nif·ty [ níftee ]

adjective (comparative nif·ti·er, superlative nif·ti·est)

Definition:

1. compliant with National Institute of Forensic Science requirements.

2. stylish and good-looking: fashionable and good-looking

3. agile: good, quick, and clever at doing something or using something

4. very good: very good or effective

 


Click here to see news articles on this topic. 

 


Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community  Interesting documents online at the National Academies of Science Committee on Science, Technology and Law


 

Presented by the FBI Laboratory at the IAI Conference on 18 August 2008

Right-click and download before opening these large files:

PDF Slides (2.4 Mb)

PowerPoint Slides (3.1 Mb)

 


 

See new Standards and Draft Standards from SWGFAST   

 


 
Position Paper on Latent Fingerprint Identification from the IAI...  29 Nov 2007, from the International Association for Identification.
 

 

Acid
                                                          Yellow FP

ACID YELLOW Development of Bloody Latent Prints on Dark Surfaces... 
27 Jul 2007 IAI presentation
, courtesy of the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory.

Right-click here to download the large PowerPoint version of this presentation, then open on your computer.

Right-click here to download the large PDF version of this presentation, then open on your computer.


Ninhydrin Development without expensive or dangerous solvents.  Research from Korea...


Major Case Prints DRAFT Card 
A new card for recording all finger joints/tips and thenar (base of palm) areas was drafted by SWGFAST in September 05.   It is anticipated that the new Major Case Prints form number will be FD-884A.
 
The new card is intended to facilitate comprehensive record finger and palm prints (AKA Major Case Prints) when fully completed with existing FBI Fingerprint Card (Form FD-249 front and back ) and FBI Palmprint Card (Form FD-884 front and back ) records.   The below draft design has not been approved by the FBI and may undergo modifications during vetting with the IAI and other internal and external interested parties.   See the CLPEX.com discussion about MCPs and the new card here.     
 
  new card
Blank Card Front

new card
Blank Card Back
 
new card
Sample Card Front with Prints

new card
  Sample Card Back with Prints

new card
  Card Front Block Sizes

new card
  Card Back Block Sizes
 
MCP standardization will assist AFIS as more vendors design systems for handling all friction ridge areas of the hands.  



 
Latent Print Exam Study Questions
Courtesy of Henry Templeman of the San Jose Police Department
These are not IAI LPCB approved or endorsed - but may help give examiners an idea of their knowledge level in preparation for the LPCB Exam.  Be sure to study all the cited reference materials to acquire knowledge sufficient to pass.




I
nteresting transcript from a BBC February 2006 Newsnight interview with Dr. Itiel Dror on the topic of contextual bias and experts.  
 

 
Madrid Error Prints, including Algerian Ouhnane Daoud's record print, are online here
.





The US Department of Justice's March 2006 documents related to the Madrid Error are online at
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0601/PDF_list.htm

(Recommend downloading these files before opening from your computer).

Among other findings, the 330 page report criticizes the FBI Laboratory's Examination SOP, and SWGFAST guidelines, as repetitive, vague and general.  

The five-page conclusion from the report is available here
(much smaller file) .  
 
 


" The Myth of Goats : How many people have fingerprints that are hard to match?"
by Austin Hicklin, Craig Watson and Brad Ulery

Published as a NIST Interagency Report, NISTIR 7271

   
  



7 Sep 2005 Massachusetts Supreme Court Oral Arguments (swf file type) about Admissibility of Simultaneous Impressions RE: Commonwealth v. Patterson
 

Additional details at clpex.com

New Hampshire June 2005 Daubert Challenge  

Another Simon Cole Article about Fingerprint Error Rates ...Cole begins by hinting that fingerprint testimony is similar to selling fake insurance policies (right-click to save and open this 94 page pdf document)
Click here for the FBI Laboratory Special Report on the Madrid print erroneous identification.

The Madrid Error Prints are online here .
       

Reagents
                                                          Screen
                                                          Snapshot
Processing Reagent Guide

Alex Mankevich's Excellent Resource at CBDIAI
  
 
Shirley McKie Case Update

  Click here for the latest details at
www.shirleymckie.com

 
New Books on AFIS and Biometrics

Peter
                                                          Komarinski's
                                                          AFIS Book
  
Woodward's
                                                          Biometrics
                                                          Book


  
Faulds
                                                          Monument
Dr. Henry Faulds Monument in Japan


Stephen Meagher's August 2002 
IAI Conference Daubert Presentation

(hint... right click the Daubert Presentation link and save to your computer for best results)

The CLPE Roster has been updated.
" Do Fingerprints Lie? " another article ignoring the existence of standards and certification in the fingerprint discipline. Michael Specter's 27 May 2002 piece in The New Yorker
Online article about the alleged ease in spoofing biometric fingerprint readers (Gummi Bears?). Related commentary appears here

In considering the concept of spoofing biometric systems, don't forget that biometric fingerprint reader systems do not identify fingers, but instead determine whether the ridge detail pressed on the reader is similar enough to the registered fingerprint data to trigger a green light instead of a red light using matching criteria AS SET FOR THAT SYSTEM. - Ed German

RUVIS-related commercial links:

e-symposium 
spex 
crimescope 
jobinyvon 


What is a Daubert Hearing and how do you pronounce it?
 

 
A Statement Regarding Am eri can News Shows and Articles about Fingerprint Evidence Credibility in Court...


 

13 March 2002 Order from Judge Pollak
Judge Pollak Reversed Himself
US v LLERA PLAZA

Judge Pollak Reverses Himself
The Honorable Louis H. Pollak wrote:
Based on the foregoing considerations, I have concluded that arrangements which, subject to careful trial court oversight, are felt to be sufficiently reliable in England, ought likewise to be found sufficiently reliable in the federal courts of the United States, subject to similar measures of trial court oversight. In short, I have changed my mind. "Wisdom too often never comes, and so" - as Justice Frankfurter admonished himself and every judge - "one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late." (7 January 2002 Court Decision partially against fingerprints Court Decision )
 
 

US v LLERA PLAZA Memorandum of Law in Support of Government's Motion for Reconsideration of the Court's Exclusion of Fingerprint Opinion Testimony (71 pages - Filed 28 JAN 02)

 

US v LLERA PLAZA Government's Motion for Reconsideration of FP Evidence Exclusion and for Permission to Present Limited Additional Evidence (Filed 18 JAN 02)

 
The Reliability of Fingerprint Identification -
A Case Report

PA v. Vikara, Convicted After Starrs' Testimony
Prof. James Starrs was called as an expert in the methodology of fingerprint comparison, but renounced much of his written report during cross-examination.  Hearing was October 22, 2001... Defendant convicted of 1st Degree Murder and Robbery... sentenced to death. Defendant died January 10, 2002 in the State Correctional Institute at Camp Hill, PA.

A Judge Takes a Close look at Simon Cole
A New York state judge listened to testimony by Simon Cole about why he considers the science of fingerprint identification suspect... and ruled, ..."Even applying the Federal Court's Daubert Standard, what Dr. Cole has offered here is 'junk science"... 
( Court Decision ) ( Cole's Testimony )

One of Bin Laden's Terrorists Tried a Daubert Challenge to FP's   - After his April 6, 2001 conviction, Ahmed Ressam was known to most of us as just another criminal who failed in his bid to exclude incriminating fingerprint evidence. As Paul Harvey would say, we now know the rest of the story... 

Discussion Forum at OnIn
Read what your peers are asking and answering... 

ANSI/NIST:  Click HERE to read ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2000. It covers the " Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial, & Scar, Mark & Tattoo (SMT) Information " and is the revision of ANSI/NIST- CSL 1-1993 & ANSI/NIST- ITL 1a-1997. 
And YES , it does cite the new 1000 ppi higher resolution friction ridge file types... and the 1K, 2K, etc., migration path for higher resolution.  Congratulations to Mike McCabe, the IAI, SWGFAST and other organizations and individuals responsible for helping craft improved national standards!

Equipment and Supplies
Find your goodies online...
 

FBI Forensic Science Communications
Forensic Science Communications is a forensic science journal published quarterly in by FBI Laboratory personnel. It is a means of communication between forensic scientists.
 

FBI LP Processing Guide
Right-click the above link to download the Year 2000 FBI Latent Print Processing Guide.  This document is 344 KB and will work best if you download it to your computer (especially if you are using a telephone modem).

2000 Version, by Tim Trozzi,
                                    Rebecca Schwartz, and Mitch Hollars
Many thanks to  Tim Trozzi, Rebecca Schwartz, and Mitch Hollars of the FBI Lab for updating the manual, and to the FBI for making the Year 2000 version public. 

Fingerpint Consultants
Experts with an online presence... 

INS Fingerprinting $$$
Anticipated to cost up to $500 million, Senate Bill 1491 introduced on 3 OCT 01 will hopefully sail thru Congress quickly in this time of need for fingerprint screening in America.

INTERPOL AFIS Expert Group
The IAEG is currently composed of representatives from eight member countries: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States, representatives from Interpol and an observer from Europol. It is the charter of the IAEG to develop and propose for adoption... 

Help Wanted... LP Examiner Jobs
Looking for a change? Ready to retire and start anew?... 


  The Future of the LP Discipline
Slides from  the
July 2001 IAI Conference


Level 1, 2 and 3 Detail
Level 1 includes the general ridge flow and pattern configuration.  Level 1 detail is not sufficient for individualization, but can be used for exclusion.  Level 1 detail may include information enabling orientation, core and delta location, and distinction of finger versus palm.  Level 2... 

Prints on Skin
Because the same chemicals naturally deposited in latent prints are also present on the rest of the body's skin, successful latent print detection on skin normally involves a contaminant of some type (blood, dirt, lipstick, wet paint, vaseline, etc.).  I recommend detectives look carefully at the victim's skin for any obvious "finger or palm ridge detail" (not just red marks on the skin).  Success may come in the form of ... 

Problem Idents
There is zero tolerance for friction ridge identification error in forensic science.  Ignoring  standards causes errors.  A minimum number of Galton detail "points" does NOT equal an identification standard.  The standard for identification is not a number.  As demonstrated below...

Ruthenium Tetroxide
Used more in Japan than the US, here's another tool to be aware of...

LP Examination Safety - OSHA Report
In February 1992, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a health hazard evaluation (HHE) from a management representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington, D.C. The request was submitted because of concern about...


Those interested in furthering their knowledge will want to read David Ashbaugh's new book . Visit your library, borrow a friend's or buy one. 




Sample Expert Testimony (decades old, but still interresting)
(Testimony about Lee Harvey Oswald) My full name is Sebastian Francis Latona. I am the supervisor of the latent fingerprint section of the identification division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I attended Columbia University School of Law, where I received degrees of LL.B. LL.M., M.P.L. I have been with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a little more than 32 years. I started in the identification division as a student fingerprint classifier, and since that time I have worked... 

SCAFO
This non-profit organization was founded in 1937 with forty charter members dedicated to the profession of fingerprint identification. This Southern California based association is comprised of more than 300 members from over 50 different law enforcement agencies... 

Shirley McKie.com
Website devoted to the victim of the Scottish Criminal Record Office's fingerprint identification error.

Super Glue Fuming
Cyanoacrylate (Superglue) Fuming Tips - Lessons Learned - Caution otes - Safety Background Information - Discovery Timeline... 

SWGFAST - Peer Reviewed National Standards
In 1995, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, hosted a group of latent print examiners at the FBI academy to discuss developing consensus standards which would preserve and improve the quality of service provided by the latent print community.... 

Upcoming Training
Read about upcoming training opportunities or post new information for the rest of us... 

 

 

 

 


 
 
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