Activity 1 Questions: Week 1 Activity (March 18-21)

1.) What is a latent impression in the science of Fingerprint parlance?

Latent impressions are fingerprint impressions secreted in a surface or an object and are
usually invisible to the naked eye. These prints are the result of perspiration which is derived
from sweat pores found in the ridges of fingers. When fingers touch other body parts, moisture,
oil and grease adhere to the ridges so that when the fingers touch an object, such as a lamp, a
film of these substances may be transferred to that object. The impression left on the object
leaves a distinct outline of the ridges of that finger. These fingerprints must be enhanced upon
collection and, because they serve as a means of identifying the source of the print, they have
proven to be extremely valuable over the years in the identification of its source.

2.) What is the importance of latent impression to the investigation of criminal offense?

The importance of latent impression to the investigation of criminal offense is that it can
trace a fingerprints that are not visible to the naked eye but do exist, and it will connect to
those individual who are known to have enter the scene.

3.) What are the different types of fingerprint impression observe in a crime scene? Explain
each briefly.

• Patent or visible- prints are those fingerprints that are easily spotted without the use of
magnesium powders, ultra violet lights or chemicals that might assist in the visualization of such
a print. Patent prints are often found perhaps in blood, ink, oil or on surfaces such as glass,
wooden doorframes or paper.

• Impressed or plastic prints- are those that have been made in soft material or tissue by
pressing down with the finger or hand. These prints can be photographed or in certain
circumstances molds made if they are very fragile.

• Latent prints - the particular fingerprint we are interested in here - are prints that are not
visible to the naked eye but do exist.

4.) What are the methods applicable to the different types of latent impression, explain the
advantages and disadvantages of this methods.

• Optical method
Advantages is that it is advance, it can localize marks on various nonporous substrates and
separate overlapped fingermarks, and it can estimate the age of the latent fingerprint left on
a variety of surfaces.
Disadvantage is it has a drawbacks effect that includes magnetic properties of beads,
possibly resulting in a non-uniform, the time and pressure of contact between fingertip, and
substrate are less effective parameters.

CHEMICAL METHOD
• Small-particle reagent method
Advantages is that it can formulate and develop latent fingermarks on wet nonporous
surfaces even after 45 days of its deposition, it gave significantly more effective and better
quality prints than the dry powder based composition, and capable of developing aged
latent prints.

Disadvantages is that this composition did not interfere in subsequent presumptive test of
blood, powder dusting produces, and increased background noise.

• Phase transfer catalyst method

Advantages is that it gave better quality prints, it can achieve faster reaction, obtain higher
conversions, and it eliminate the need of expensive or dangerous solvents.

Disadvantages is the need of a chemical that can separate the catalyst from the product
organic phase.

• Electrochemical method
Advantages is the low electricity consumption, low energy consumption, it has high purity
chlorine and hydrogen, and the insensitivity to impression.

Disadvantages is that it need a mercury, large floor space, asbestos, it need expensive cell
operation, high steam consumption, and need of high oxygen content in chlorine.

• Iodine fuming method

Advantages is that it developed high quality permanent prints without any background
coloration, it does not inhibit other techniques, and it is not a destructive technique.

Disadvantages is that it is sensitive to different latent residue.

• Dye-base method
Advantages is that it is biodegradable, non-toxic, it will not cause any health hazards, and it
is not that harmful to humans.

Disadvantages is that it cost a larger amount of dye to be needed in order to dye to have
specific amount of fabric as opposed to synthetic dyes, and tends to fade
• Cyanoacrylate fuming method
Advantages is that it is an excellent way to develop older fingerprints because the sweat has
evaporated and the cyanoacrylate fumes only needed to the amino acids, proteins, and fatty
acids to develop the fingerprint.
Disadvantages is that there is only one (1) chance to lift the print perfectly and the print will
be semi-permanent.

• Nanoparticles method
Advantages is that it cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical and
physical method, cost efficient, and require low maintenance.

Disadvantages is that it has potential to cross the blood brain barrier, and it has major
drawback because this method used to carry drugs may be toxic to the brain.

5.) If you were a crime scene investigator or an investigator of a scene of interest, what type
of fingerprints would you have discovered in these cases?

A. A Hershey’s chocolate bar

• Impressed print
B. A bloody print on a knife
• Patent print
C. A baseball helmet
• Latent print