For more than 100 years, criminal investigators have used fingerprints to place suspects at the scene of a crime or help identify suspects using prints already on file. In fact, there are three types of fingerprints forensic specialists tend to deal with:
* Latent prints. Latent prints are those accidentally left behind on surfaces when touched. The body’s eccrine (sweat) glands are always producing salty liquids that cling to the skin’s surface. When a person touches an object, pressure on the skin transfers some of this liquid to that object in a pattern unique to the finger doing the touching. Usually invisible to the naked eye (hence the word “latent’), latent fingerprints can be revealed using a variety of techniques ranging from a dusting with fine powder to the use of special lights. Latent prints are often incomplete, smudged or superimposed atop other prints, and thus may yield no useful—or even misleading—information.
* Patent prints. When someone has been touching newsprint, dirt, grease, blood, etc. and then touches a surface, a clearly visible fingerprint will often be left as a result. Like latent prints, patent prints are often smudged or incomplete. However, because patent prints tend to be less common than latent prints, they are less likely to be confused with fingerprints left earlier by people unrelated to the crime under investigation.
* Plastic prints. Plastic prints are three-dimensional impressions left in malleable materials such as candle wax, putty, clay or similar substances. Plastic prints are significantly less common than latent or patent prints. Also, crime scene investigators need to carefully examine the surfaces on which plastic prints appear for latent prints that may not be immediately visible.
Investigate a Career in Criminal Investigations
Do you have an interest in crime scene investigations, criminology or other aspects of law enforcement? Then perhaps a career in criminal investigations is right for you. Everest University offers degrees in criminal investigations that can qualify you for many positions in this exciting and rewarding field. For more information, and to find an Everest University campus near you, contact Everest today!
