Name: GANDEZA, Prince Emmanuel D.
Section: 2A
Date: June 24, 2022
Instructions: You can submit either encoded or handwritten outputs.
What is ACE-V method?
The examination method of analysis, comparison, evaluation (ACE) and
verification (V) has a history of progression. ACE-V is the examination method described
in the Scientific Working Group for Friction Ridge Analysis, Study, and Technology
(SWGFAST) documents.
ACE is a simple explanation of the phases involved in perception and decisionmaking. ACE gives the expert specific phases of examination that can be used to
document the perception, information gathering, comparison, and decision-making that
takes place during an examination of prints. Scientific method is often described as
observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, data analysis, and conclusion.
ACE is one description of a method of comparing print details, forming a hypothesis about
the source, experimenting to determine whether there is agreement or disagreement,
analyzing the sufficiency of agreement or disagreement, rendering an evaluation, and
retesting to determine whether the conclusion can be repeated.
Describing information-gathering and decision-making is difficult. ACE is a
structured approach to gathering information about the details in prints. ACE is not a linear
method in which analysis is conducted once, comparison is conducted once, and then a
decision is made once in the evaluation. ACE can and does recur during informationgathering and decision-making. However, the three phases of ACE need to be discussed
independently. The analysis and comparison must be conducted so that the comparative
measurements and sequences can be accurately determined to reach a valid evaluation.
The purpose of the ACE-V method is to give more structure and objectivity to the
exercise of print comparison, combining the factors required for a sound scientific
practice.
The ACE-V examination method is composed of the following steps:
1. Analysis
The examiner assesses the unknown print to determine whether or not it is suitable
for comparison. This involves the preliminary assessment of a number of factors
like the surface material or, the substance of the print itself.
2. Comparison
The investigator analyses characteristic attributes of the fingerprints and identifies
conformities between the found and the known latent prints.
3. Evaluation
The
examiner
answers
a
few
questions:
– are there any conformities between the revealed print and the known ones?
– is there a sufficient number of minutiae to identify the unique correlation?
There are only four possible conclusions for the examiner:
1.
The
latent
a.
identified
b.
not
identified
c. Inconclusive
print
or
or
is
individualized
excluded
4. Verified
If an identification is made, the conclusion must be verified by peer review of
another qualified fingerprint examiner. This ensures the proper application of the
objective scientific method and confirms the results of the first examiner.