Fingerprinting the Oldest DNA Test
Bryce Culley
Hour 5
Hutchinson Middle School-8
Fingerprinting dates back to the 1600’s when ancient Chinese and Romans used this
technology knowing that not two people have the same fingerprint (Google). The fingerprint is
used many ways in the modern day technology. The new IPhone for example, uses the
fingerprint to access the phone by using only the owner’s fingerprints. Fingerprinting is accurate
based on its development, concerns, and cases it has helped solve.
Sir Alec was working in a lab on September 10, 1984 when he discovered that it was
true, that when two fingerprints were examined they had different shapes and patterns, but he
also found that identical twins share the same fingerprints (Independent). He also introduced that
every citizen should have to put their fingerprint in a computer system, not only to help police
solve crimes, but also having fingerprints help identify soldiers killed in war, or people who had
been killed and were unidentifiable (Independent).
Fingerprints develop inside of the mom’s womb, and do not ever change. Unless
physically changed by burning off the prints with an acid, or by having a surgical laser removal.
Fingerprints are the ridges that are on the surface of your hands and your feet, known as papillary
ridges, In-between the ridges are sweat pores (Crime). They normally run across or parallel, but
can occasionally change direction giving each individual person his or her own fingerprint
(Crime). There are three basic kinds of fingerprints; loop, arch, and whorl. The arch pattern is
made up of ridges lying one above the other in a general arching formation. The loop pattern
consists of one or more free recurving ridges and one delta. The whorl pattern consists of one or
more free recurving ridges and two points of delta. (Crime). Then there are the three kinds of
fingerprints that crime scene investigators look for; latent, patent, and plastic (Crime). Latent are
made up of sweat, and oil produced by the body that is on the skins surface, and needs a lab test
to reveal them to the naked eye (Crime). Patent are made of things that got on the fingerprint,
and were left behind, such as blood, grease, ink, and dirt are the most common, and can be seen
by the naked eye (Crime). Plastic prints are 3D impressions and are made by pressing your finger
into something like wax, soap, or wet paint on a wall. They are also very easily seen by the
naked eye (Crime).
Finding fingerprints at a crime scene is harder than it looks on teleivision. There are two
classifications of evidence; circumstantial evidence and individual evidence (Crime).
Circumstantial evidence is anything left behind that does not particularly have a humans DNA or
fingerprint; such as soil with impression of a shoe print left behind or a shell casing that was used
(Pnas). Individual evidence is evidence where with tests they can see whose DNA it is such as a
fingerprint, blood, or hair (Pnas). After finding and recovering evidence they have to examine
the fingerprints. There are 169 examiners on hand at any time (Pnas). In the training of 14
months they learn everything there is about a fingerprint and how to use tests to identify them
(Pnas). 1% of the trainee’s made over 50% mistakes, 85% of the examiners made at least one
mistake. Examiners look for things in a fingerprint like bifurcation, delta, core, and ridge
endings. A bifurcation are where a line breaks into two separate lines. A delta is where three
lines join together. A core is the very center point of the fingerprint. A ridge ending is where a
line ends on the fingerprint (Viewzone).
Television shows such as CSI, dust for fingerprints. It is acceptable to do sometimes like
on paper products (Viewzone). If an item with a smooth surface such as glass has a fingerprint
on it then dusting the fingerprint would wipe it clean, packaging it in a paper or plastic baggy
would destroy the print as well (Viewzone). Television shows also put the print into a system
and it gives them a match in a few short moments. Realistically that process takes five to six
hours because it has to run through millions of fingerprints (Livescience). It gives them possible
matches not one exact match. They also have to go in and edit anything that is not actually part
of the fingerprint (Livescience).
Concerns people have with fingerprinting, is should people be left in the system there
whole life. They fingerprint people who were witnesses at a crime to eliminate suspicions on if
they were connected to the crime. Also should a person who got arrested for a DUI be forced to
give their fingerprint, considering the fact that there fingerprint had nothing to do with them
breaking the law. People also have concerns with the fingerprinting system is it okay that two
examiners decide if your fingerprint matches that of the fingerprint at the crime scene
(Independent). Also is it okay if that they only choose ten random spots to compare on the two
fingerprints (Independent). Even creators and editors of the system and examining process say
there are many mistakes and that there are probably a few hundred wrongly accused people in
jail because of fingerprinting examination process (Independent). A current concern is with the
new apple IPhone 5s. Apple released that in the previous phones they have made, they made it to
where the government could listen into phone calls (Macworld). Many people think that with the
new fingerprint scanner technology that apple put in there phone, did they make it to where the
phone could save your prints. Could the government access them and put them in the AFIS
(Automated Fingerprint Identification System) without you even knowing (Macworld).
The first time the fingerprint test was used to solve a crime was in Argentina July 1892.
Francisca Rojas children were found murdered in their beds. Rojas told police that she saw her
neighbor flee from the rooms and out the window. Police arrested him, and after questioning
him, they could not get a confession out of him. In order to make him confess they strapped him
in a bed for three days with the two kids lying on either side of him. He still wouldn't confess.
Police went back to the crime scene to find more evidence. They found a bloody fingerprint on
the door frame and matched it to the mothers (Libal 28).
Two hikers were hiking in the woods and walked upon a duffle bag. Inside was a body
part, a few hundred yards away they spotted another. They immediately called the police. When
they arrived they found several other duffle bags. They sent them back to the lab and there they
found that all the parts went to the same body. Thanks to fingerprinting they could identify the
man as Dale Givens. Inside the bag he was wrapped in saran wrap they found a partial bloody
fingerprint. They traced it back to Joseph Parks, whose girlfriend said that a drug deal went bad
and he shot him. Joseph was sentenced to life (Beres 28).
A crime team was searching for evidence at a bank robbery. After searching for hours
they couldn't find any DNA or any fingerprints. Willing not to give up an officer went around the
building where an employee said someone came in from the back through vent. There the officer
found a ladder on that ladder was some tape. On the sticky side were fresh fingerprints. They
later arrested and convicted the man (Beres 20).
The most famous bank robber of all time John Dillinger was tired of the crime lifestyle.
In order to blend back in with society he had his prints removed so that he could not be traced to
any of his crimes. His girlfriend betrayed him for reward money and turned him in. He tried to
flee, but was shot and killed. Later a doctor discovered his fingerprints had already started to
reappear. John only burned his fingertips and police matched part of the lower part of his
fingerprint to a vault door (Libal 34).
Fingerprinting has a very long history. Because of this history the concerns that people
have with it will never change this technology. Every year 87% of crimes are solved by using
fingerprinting.
Works Cited
Bennetto, Jason. "Independent." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d.
Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/inventor-of-dnafingerprint-testing-warns-flaw-could-lead-to-miscarriages-of-justice-6162047.html>.
Beres, D. B.. Dusted and busted!: the science of fingerprinting. New York: Franklin Watts,
2007. Print.
"DNA Fingerprinting Takes the Stand." Genetics Generation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
<http://knowgenetics.org/dna-fingerprinting-takes-the-stand/>.
"Examiners." Accuracy and reliability of forensic. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/04/18/1018707108.full.pdf>.
"Fingerprints." Fingerprints. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.crimemuseum.org/library/forensics/fingerprints.html>.
Innes, Brian. Fingerprints and impressions. Armonk, N.Y.: Sharpe Focus, 2008. Print.
Libal, Angela. Fingerprints, bite marks, ear prints: human signposts. Philadelphia: Mason Crest
Publishers, 2006. Print.
"The Reality of Fingerprinting Not Like TV Crime Labs." LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Dec. 2013. <http://www.livescience.com/4843-reality-fingerprinting-tv-crimelabs.html>.
"The iPhone 5s fingerprint reader: what you need to know." Macworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec.
2013. <http://www.macworld.com/article/2048514/the-iphone-5s-fingerprint-readerwhat-you-need-to-know.html>.
"Understanding Fingerprints and CSI Crime Detection." Understanding Fingerprints and CSI
Crime Detection. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.viewzone.com/fingerprint.html>.
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