Forensics Assignment
This assignment will consist of developing latent (not visible to the human eye) fingerprints. You
will need a piece of paper, a brush (soft bristle toothbrush, makeup brush or paint brush) and a
powdery substance (flour, baking powder, confectionary sugar, baking soda, baby powder or
makeup powder). Start by taking your thumb and rubbing it on your forehead or behind your
neck/ears in order to pick up oils on your finger. Next, place your thumb firmly onto a piece of
paper. If a light powder is used, then you would want to use a dark piece of paper. If a dark powder
is used, you would want to use a light piece of paper. This will provide contrast for your fingerprint.
After this, take the brush of your choice and dip it into the powder of your choice. Only a small
amount of powder is needed. If too much powder is on the brush, the fingerprint pattern will not
be visible. Then, lightly dust the fingerprint in circular motions using the brush with the powder.
Repeat this procedure with the rest of your fingers. Make sure to designate which finger the
fingerprint came from (right thumb, left pinky, right ring etc). Finally, using chapter 6 in your
textbook or the internet, determine the pattern of each fingerprint (arch, whorl or loop). The link
below will help you to further understand how to develop latent fingerprints.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tqFzVfPRd5s