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By now virtually everyone is aware that fingerprints are a major source of evidence that is used to solve many crimes that have occurred. However; what exactly is it that makes fingerprints such a reliable source of information for identifying individuals who may or may have not perpetuated a crime?

The truth, is that there are only seven unique variables that comprise each persons fingerprint. However; it is how these variable are arranged that separates one fingerprint from another. In fact, in spite of there only being seven variables, no two fingerprints have ever been found to be alike out of the billions that have been taken world wide.

It was back in the late 1800′s that the science of fingerprinting first began to be used forensically to solve crimes. It was back then that the basic methods for collection were first developed. Of those the most common was to dust the print with a light feather duster that had been dipped in graphite or carbon based powder.

The dark powder will tend to adhere to the oils that the persons hand has left behind as a finger print. Then a clear tape is laid over the now darkened finger print and the result is a exact duplicate of the print stuck to the clear tape.

Since those early years new technologies have been developed to gather degraded or latent finger prints. Many of these methods use chemicals in gassious form that will adhere to the organic material, rather then the oil which may have dried or become degraded.

Most recently, new computer software has been developed to assist in the gathering of fingerprints that would otherwise been unusable. For instance, one new computer program is able to eliminate background patterns on textured surfaces such as fabrics or hard articles such as knife blades and gun handles that have been scuffed to make fingerprinting difficult.

Written by Alexis Oroville. Learn the latest on inkless fingerprint as well as fingerprinting kits

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Crime Scene Fingerprints – Then and Now by Alexis Oroville