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Task 2: Record of General Examination for 6 pieces of evidenceCrime No: Item No:
Watford
WHC4000567 SZ01
Forensics Laboratory
Case Name:
Operation Desert Storm
Description of item:
Fingerprints
Name of Force:
Watford
Packaging:
Lifted with Adhesive tape and placed on a white acetate sheet and then placed in a plastic evidence
envelope
Integrity of packaging: All seals are taped, and tape has been signed. Continuity label completed.
Last Name of Continuity: Sanaa Z
Examination Notes:
PLAN
To lift the fingerprints from the crime scene and compare them to the suspects to
either match them to being at the scene or eliminate them as suspects Lab. No:
1. Sprinkle a small amount of powder on the print 762387
2. Dust the excess powder away with a brush
3. Place a piece of fingerprint tape on the dusted fingerprint Scientist:
4. Compare the crime scene fingerprints and the suspects
Sanaa Z
Signature:
S.Z
Results: the fingerprints matched those of Pablo Escobar and Robert Gomez
Date:
02/04/2021
Page 1 of: 1
, Continuation Sheet of Forensic Examination
Continuation Sheet: 1
Fingerprints are developed inside the womb at 3 months and the unique prints come from the small movements
and stresses from inside the womb and a slight change in the umbilical cord can change your print.. there are
three main types of fingerprints which are loop, arch and whorl and approximately 65% of all fingerprints are
loops, 30% are whorls and only 5% are arches. In criminal investigations, the classification of a fingerprint isn’t
enough to determine if the prints are a match and so specific ridge characteristics are looked at which are
known as the minutia and the most common ridge characteristics are bifurcations and ridge endings.
How fingerprinting analysis is done is that firstly you sprinkle a small amount of latent fingerprint powder which
can vary from a number of powders that range from Aluminium to Colloidal Copper as well as a range of binders
that can range from Rosin to Lycopodium. Within these varying compositions, the powder clings to the oils that
are left from a fingerprint. This then brings on the next step which is to gently remove the excess powder from
the area where you previously sprinkled the powder onto. It was advised that you should be gentle in order to
leave the fingerprint intact, and the brushing motion should be in a slow, dabbing motion rather than to just rub
it as this can smear the print and if the print is smeared, it will become more difficult to see the print. If this
wasn’t the case, a clear fingerprint should be outlined in the powder. The last step of this process is to place a
piece of fingerprint tape over the fingerprint and a big enough piece of tape should be used so that there’s room
on the corner of the tape so that it’ll be easier to pull the tape up and then carefully pull the tape up. When the
tape is lifted, the powdered print should be stuck to it. Replace the tape onto a white cardboard backing so the
fingerprint can be seen clearly.
This is the best technique when collecting fingerprints as it does not take much time in order to conduct
whereas chemical fingerprinting would take longer and would have to be done away from the crime scene. The
technique I used was reliable and was accurate in the case that I managed to successfully capture and pick the
fingerprint up, making it a valid technique as it measured what it was supposed to.
Advantages of Fingerprinting- it reduces the uncertainty of identification because no two people have the same
fingerprint. Fingerprinting has an indefinite storage period and the technology used gives investigators another
option to consider for evidence.
Disadvantages of Fingerprinting- it’s very fragile in the case of Lukis Anderson where a finger heart rate monitor
was used on him and someone else who was deceased but for different reasons, yet Anderson was wrongly
accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Fingerprint identification can be avoided through burning them with acid
or sustaining an injury like John Dillinger. A study was conducted on fingerprint analysis that found that most
fingerprint experts would change their decision about whether a latent print was accurate based in whether
other information about the crime suggested that the person was guilty or not. This then suggests that
fingerprint analysis might not be as accurate as it seems because it is prone to human error. However,
fingerprint analysis is reliable in the case that it can prove that someone was at the scene of the crime,
narrowing the list of suspects for authorities to work through, helping them to solve the crime.
Reflect-
I found it really difficult to see the fingerprints when the powder was on the bottle which may have been
because I swiped the powder away instead of dabbing it.
Validity & reliability-
The results were clearly and found that the prints at the scene matched those of Pablo Escobar and Robert
Gomez
Improvements-
Dab the powder away instead of swiping it away.
Crime No: WHC4000567 Signature: S.Zaher Date: 02/04/2021
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