The Importance of Gathering Fingerprints at a Crime Scene - Essay Example

The Importance of Gathering Fingerprints at a Crime Scene and How Much It Helps In Solving Criminal Cases These days, criminals get smarter and faster at what they do. They could perform such a flawless job that law enforcement officials find it difficult to have a reliable evidence to use against them. No matter how intelligent and careful they are however, there is always a certain flaw to their plan that will nail them and convict them of the offense. One such evidence of their weakness that is often left at crime scenes is their fingerprint. The human fingerprint is so unique that it can be used to set one individual apart from the rest. Even identical twins do not have the same fingerprints as its formation is affected by environmental factors as well. Consequently, Looking at the details of the ridges, dots, and spurs on the fingerprint could be interesting as well as legally advantageous for those who seek justice for committed criminal offenses. Interestingly, fingerprinting as a crime investigation tool has gone through a number of revolutionary changes. The Bertillon system as a form of biometric identification for solving crimes is one of the original techniques used in this endeavor (Kuhn, 2007). Surprisingly, it started very early in history in the 1800s. The system made use of the measurements of the body’s bony parts to establish an individual’s identity (Snow & Foster, 2007). It worked under the assumption that no two individuals have the same bone structure as this remained stable throughout life. However, when a certain case happened where two prisoners had the same Bertillon results, the enforcement authorities started to look for more effective ways of pinning down a suspect. Meanwhile, even if the Bertillon system wasn’t that precise in positively isolating an offender it still introduced the evaluation of an individual’s physical and facial attribute for positively identifying a criminal. Fortunately, by the 1890’s Sir Francis Galton, discovered a more credible way of personal identification and this was through the use of the fingerprints (Kuhn, 2007). Indeed, Galton paved the way for the modern application of fingerprint identification in the resolution of most criminal cases. This goes to show that a set of gathered fingerprints can provide a foolproof way of pinpointing and incarcerating lawbreakers. While other evidences can be used, fingerprints provide a direct and undeniable identification of a person’s involvement in an offense. The first person ever to be convicted of a crime based on a fingerprint that was used as evidence was Charles Crispi (Kuhn, 2007). At first, he denied the allegations and tried to get away by stating an alibi. But because a police commissioner went out of his way to gather fingerprints, he discovered a connection to Crispi and consequently created a lead to solve the crime. This gave Crispi a no way out and later admitted that he was guilty of the crime and was given appropriate sanction. From then on, the police made use of the fingerprinting method to resolve criminal offenses. It only goes to show that a set of fingerprints gives direction to a case and provides little room for criminals to deny their wrongdoing. When it is too difficult to gather any other substantial evidence, the use of fingerprints can save the day and allow justice to prevail. By the 1980s and onwards, the fingerprinting technology has evolved and more crimes were unraveled. A new system, called the Automated Fingerprint Identification, was developed and made working out crimes a lot easier (Snow & Foster, 2007). Previously, even if the police have accumulated numerous fingerprints in the crime scene, it would take time to identify them. It entailed having to manually compare the fingerprint with tons and tons of identification files. Meanwhile, with the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, a program is used to instantly match unknown fingerprints with a record of known ones. More specifically, a special computer is used to scan, pick up, and keep a file of the fingerprint markings (Snow & Foster, 2007). When the need arises, police men search through the database until a perfect match is achieved. Consequently, even if the fingerprints were gathered some years back, the crime suspects can still be apprehended. Snow and Foster (2007) emphasized the rape and murder case of a seventy year old woman. It was commendable for the law enforcers to gather fingerprints at that time. A single fingerprint that was found on a glass made all the difference for the resolution of the case. The police made use of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, found a match, and identified a suspect. When the individual was later questioned about it, he admitted to the crime. What is significant about this criminal case is that the crime happened thirty years ago but the police was still able to solve it with a single fingerprint gathered. This goes to show that even if the task of looking for fingerprints can be tedious and tiring, its importance should never be ignored. Perseverance in collecting fingerprints today can prove its significance even in the latter years. The latest in fingerprint identification technology was made possible through the efforts of some forensic scientists at the University of Leicester (“New Fingerprint Breakthrough,” 2008). They have worked hand in hand with police officials in an attempt to enhance the way fingerprint evidences were gathered in the scene of the crime. Their findings were published in the American Journal of Forensic Science. Interestingly, fingerprints can be seen on some metallic materials even if the marking has already been taken off (“New Fingerprint Breakthrough,” 2008). No amount of cleaning or washing can cause a hindrance to the fingerprint enhancement. What they have found out is that fingerprints can corrode certain metal coverings and leave an undeniable mark that they made a procedure to allow the imprints to be seen more clearly. This is found to be true for metals such as a small caliber cartridge or a gun (“New Fingerprint Breakthrough,” 2008). What they do is that they cover the same metal with a conducting powder then apply an electric charge to it. The decomposition that is left on the metal draws the powder towards it until a fingerprint residue appears. Finally, this implies that in gathering fingerprint evidences, one should be very detailed and should be able to consider the ones which do not have obvious markings on them. Technology will just continue to evolve and improve the process. Collecting and keeping these fingerprints, no matter how long they stay there, translates to identifying the perpetrator, solving the crime, and giving due justice to victims. References Kuhn, B. (2007). Prying eyes: Privacy in the twenty-first century. Minnesota: Twenty-First Century Books. Snow, R. & Foster, R. (2007). Technology and law enforcement: From gumshoe to gamma rays. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. New fingerprint breakthrough by forensic scientists (2008). In Eureka! Science News. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/06/02/new.fingerprint .breakthrough.forensic.scientists Read More