QUESTIONS

3. Using the fingerprints below, identify each of the following features; a lake,
bifurcation, island and ridge ending. Circle the feature and label it. You only
need to identify each feature once, and you may not need to use all of the
prints for this exercise. In addition, identify the fingerprint pattern (arch,
loop etc.) for each print.

Bifurcation Island Enclosure

Ridge ending

• For the first print is radial loop.

• Second print is double loop whorl.
• Third print is central pocket loop whorl.
• Fourth print is plain whorl.
• Fifth print is plain arch.
• The last print is tented arch.
4. Case Study 1: You are a forensic scientist investigating a homicide. You are
given an aluminum baseball bat used in the beating death of a gang member.
You manage to lift a partial latent print from the bat. Your job is to compare
the partial print to the fingerprints of 3 rival gang members suspected in the
beating death. Below is the partial print as well as the prints of the suspects.
Write a report summarizing the results of your investigation. In it, you
should include information on the latent print (basic fingerprint type and any
distinguishing characteristics) as well as the fingerprint of the suspect you
believe matches it (if any). You should describe the process by which you
found your match – for example, you may rule out some suspect prints
because they are not the same basic pattern as your latent print. You may cut
and paste the prints into your report if you wish and use them to indicate
what features you have identified. To get better resolution, you can view the
prints in Word and view them at 150%. You should also indicate how
confident you are in your results. Recall that most courts require 12 points to
match for it to be considered a match.
The partial latent impression of an aluminum baseball bat has been successfully lifted.
Upon investigation, I discovered that a partial print from the crime scene matched
Suspect B's lifted print. The following diagram compares the partial print to the lifted
print:

1 Hook 7 Ridge ending

2 Bifurcation 8 Island
3 Island 9 Bifurcation
4 Core 10 Island
5 Ridge ending 11 Bifurcation
6 Bifurcation 12 Dot

The partial print pattern is a loop based on a crime scene partial print. We have the
fingerprints of three suspects at the crime scene. They all have different fingerprint
patterns and characteristics. Suspect A and B's fingerprint pattern is a loop and Suspect
C's fingerprint pattern is a tented arch. Suspect C was disqualified because of a
discrepancy in his fingerprint pattern and part of the print from the murder scene. We can
detect the scar on the fingerprints of suspects A and B by observing the fingerprints
naturally. Next, we need to analyze and compare the minutiae of fingerprint of suspect B
and the partial print from the crime scene, we find that they match up to 98% because we
have 12 similar minutiae.
5. As stated earlier in the lab handout, there is some controversy over the
veracity of fingerprint evidence, particularly in light of the Daubert
standards. Imagine you are a trial judge faced with defense attorneys
arguing that fingerprint evidence should not be introduced in a trial because
no systematic study or studies have been conducted to determine the
accuracy with which a partial print can be matched to a fingerprint, and that
no uniform standards for determining whether a match exist. Briefly explain
your position on the admissibility of fingerprint evidence and explain
whether you feel the field of fingerprint analysis is a reliable science under
the Daubert guidelines.

As a trial judge, it is my responsibility to ensure that the trial I preside over is fair and
consistent with the law of the court, and to invoke sound evidence and the correct
method, and test accompanied by solid evidence. In court, the possibility of accepting
fingerprint evidence is accepted. Since it satisfies Daubert's requirements, the field of
fingerprint analysis is considered a reliable science according to Daubert's principles.
According to Daubert's criteria, fingerprint analysis is a reliable science whose reliability
can be and has been tested for a long time. There has never been a case where the
fingerprints of two people were found to be identical. Second, some forensic specialties
have seen as much information published as fingerprints and these papers are open to
other scientists for review. Finally, under Daubert, fingerprint analysis is a trusted
science because its reliability has been widely recognized by the scientific community
for more than a century.