FINGERPRINT RECORDING Abhedya Rajeev BASICS OF LAW Mon, Aug 10, 2020, at ,09:35 PM IMPORTANCE OF FINGERPRINT RECORDED: Every day, no matter what we do or where we are, we touch numerous objects such as doorknobs, coffee mugs, chairs, and so on. Every time we touch something, we leave behind our unique signature over it in the form of our fingerprints. Modern sciences have proven that no two people have the same fingerprints. Even alike twins, with identical DNA, have different fingerprints. This exclusivity allows fingerprints to be used in all sorts of ways, including for background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and of course, in criminal situations. Fingerprint by Francis Galton (in 1892) was the first book that put light on the importance of fingerprint identification in human life. It explains how fingerprints can be used as unique identity tools. In the present time, where we experienced self-driving cars, AI, the revolution of drones and robots, and digitalization of every aspect of our life. On the other hand, we still faced issues like identity theft, password breach, bank transaction breach, and many more. These issues are constantly putting significance to such a unique system; remain unchanged and impossible to breach. In the judicial system, Police officers, crime scene investigators, and others rely on forensic science techniques to ensure that the right people are punished for law violations and to keep people safe. Fingerprints are the opening players in the criminal offense and defense line up. They are so essential to criminalities that justice officers still use fingerprint systems over a hundred years after scientists developed them. Fingerprints are so crucial to forensic science as it is a unique image produced when the folds, twists, and turns of the ridges on the pads of the fingers are scanned or pressed on paper after being pressed on ink. Justice Officers or Crime scene investigators usually gather these prints through physically lifting them with fingerprint powder and sticky tape, but new technology also lets crime scene investigators take digital scans of fingerprints that are too fragile to lift. Not every crime scene has DNA evidence that is helpful to prosecuting or defending a case. According to Evan Sycamnias of Uplink, in these situations, fingerprints are one of the most important factors in crime solving because they may be the only means of identifying the people who were at a crime scene or who are involved in a crime. In some cases, criminalists may use fingerprints not only to identify criminals but also to identify their sufferers and missing persons. Following Quo Jure, some fingerprints deteriorate over time as the environment wears them away. The state of fingerprints, therefore, may give investigators a clue as to when a crime occurred. This too helps when trying to determine who might have been able to commit the offense(s) in question. The fingerprint images and information related to the person each print identifies are stored as the Thin Blue Line reports that justice officers keep databases known as Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) METHOD OF RECORDING OF FINGERPRINT: PHOTOGRAPHY- Patent prints are collected using this fairly straightforward method. These prints are photographed in high motion with a forensic measurement scale in the image for allusion. Investigators can advance the quality of the images by using low-angle or alternate light sources and certain chemicals or dyes during photography, but this is usually not essential. DUSTING WITH POWDER- The most common method for discovering and collecting latent fingerprints. Here, dusting a smooth or nonporous surface with fingerprint powder (black granular, aluminium flake, black magnetic, etc.) is used for collecting fingerprints. If any prints become visible, they are photographed as mentioned above and then lifted from the surface with clear epoxy resin tape. The lifting tape is then placed on a latent lift card to save the print. Conversely, fingerprint powders can contaminate the evidence and wreck the opportunity to perform other techniques that could turn up a hidden print or additional information. For that reason, investigators may examine the area with an alternate light source or apply cyanoacrylate (super glue) before using powders. ALTERNATE LIGHT SOURCE: These are laser or LED devices that produce a particular wavelength, or spectrum, of light. Some devices have diverse filters to provide a variety of spectra that can be photographed or further processed with powders or dye stains. CYANOACRYLATE: Investigators frequently perform cyanoacrylate (superglue) processing, or fuming, of a surface before applying powders or dye stains. This process, usually performed on non-porous surfaces, involves divulging the object to cyanoacrylate vapours. The vapours (fumes) will adhere to any prints there on the object allowing them to be viewed with oblique ambient light or a white light source. CHEMICAL DEVELOPERS: Porous surfaces such as paper are normally processed with chemicals, including ninhydrin and physical developer, to expose latent fingerprints. These chemicals react with explicit components of latent print residue, such as amino acids and inorganic salts. Ninhydrin causes prints to turn a purple colour and then they can be easily photographed. After collection of the fingerprints by using the above methods, to reach a determination on each print the fingerprint examiners use the ACE-V method. ACE- V METHOD: ACE- V stands for analysis, comparison, evaluation, and verification. This method is as follows: Analysis- this involves assessing a print to determine if it can be used for comparison. If the print is not appropriate for comparison because of inadequate quality or quantity of features, the assessment ends and the print is reported as not suitable. Else, the analysis indicates the features to be used in the comparison and their tolerances. The analysis may also reveal physical features such as deltas, creases, and scars that help specify where to begin the comparison. Comparison- this is performed by an analyst who views the known and suspect prints side-by-side. The analyst compares finer points characteristics and locations to determine if they match. Known prints are frequently collected from persons of interest, victims, others present at the scene, or through a search of one or more fingerprint databases like the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). Evaluation- this is where the examiner ultimately decides if the prints are from the same source, different sources, or is inconclusive. Inconclusive results possibly caused by poor quality samples, lack of comparable areas, or an insufficient number of corresponding or dissimilar features to be certain. Verification- this is when another examiner independently analyzes compares and evaluates the prints to either support or disprove the conclusions of the original examiner. The examiner may perhaps also verify the suitability of determinations made in the analysis phase. So the aforementioned are the ways how the fingerprints are collected and analyzed and then their details are stored in the official databases such as in IAFIS of FBI. Later, these are used or can be used as pieces of evidence in court proceedings to decide the matter in question.