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Fingerprints have been used for identification since ancient times, but were not used in criminal proceedings until the 19th century. Modern techniques use digital scanning and databases for faster and more accurate matches. Cooperation between agencies and international sharing of databases have improved the process. Each person’s fingerprints have unique patterns that are matched by technicians or computers.
Fingerprints have been used as a means of identification since the days of ancient Chinese and Babylonian civilizations. While not applied to criminal proceedings until the 19th century, understanding fingerprints emerged as a unique and distinct method of differentiating people much earlier in human history. Modern fingerprinting techniques, aided by computer and laser technology, have expedited the match-finding process and provided a huge database of comparative samples.
Fingerprinting can be used both as a means of gathering evidence at the crime scene and as a method of identifying potential suspects. Footprints left on a scene can be a direct impression left on a malleable surface, such as if a suspect pushed down on clay or left a visual imprint in blood. Dirt or oil on skin can also cause a faint fingerprint on some surfaces, which should be examined using powder or light to illuminate the print.
Traditionally, the primary fingerprinting techniques used to identify a suspect’s prints involved an ink print made on paper. The hands were cleaned to remove any dirt or other substances and then dipped in ink. The suspect allegedly rolled each fingertip over a section of a piece of paper, then pressed all five fingers to the paper. While this fingerprinting technique provided an effective impression of a person’s unique fingerprints, it required manual examination to determine a match. With the increase of thousands of fingerprint files, identification has become a laborious process easily prone to human error.
Today, common fingerprinting techniques use digital scanning equipment and printout databases. The first electronic system was created by the Japanese police in the 1980s, but digital scanning programs and virtual databases were quickly taken over by law enforcement agencies around the world. With most digital scanning systems, a suspect places each finger on a touch-sensitive electronic pad, which registers the imprint of the print. The printout is then done through computer programs that quickly compare it to thousands or even millions of registered prints looking for a match.
One of the first problems was the lack of cooperation between different agencies in different areas. A suspect captured by the FBI in New York might have fingerprints on file at an Oregon police station, but since the databases aren’t shared, the link between the crimes could easily be lost. Today, many countries and even international agencies share databases to ensure matches are not lost.
The original fingerprinting techniques used to discover a match are still employed by modern systems. Each person has distinct fingerprints, made up of patterns of arcs, whorls and ridges. Before computer databases, technicians matched suspects’ fingerprints against each print file, looking for identical matches in a print’s unique patterns. Computers continue to do the same job, but at a much faster speed with less room for error. In the centuries since fingerprint techniques were first used in criminology, both technology and method have grown together to create a quick and effective means of identification.
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