Chapter 4Fingerprints

Fingerprints and identity: a brief history

Fingerprints have imparted a sense of identity for hundreds of years.

Fingerprints as evidence of identity

Fingerprints are uniqueFingerprints don’t change over your

lifetimeFingerprints have sufficient detail to allow

them to be classified systematically

Fingerprint classificationLoop The loop pattern is the most common in fingerprints.

60%-65%

Whorl

Found in about 30% of fingerprint patterns, the whorl is a rounded or circularly shaped pattern containing two or more deltas.

Arch

The arch pattern has no delta or core and occurs only in about 5% of fingerprint patterns.

Methods of detecting fingerprints

Lights

Dusting

Developers and stains