Advances in Fingerprint Technology.pdf

lifting media were used, followed by Super Glue fuming. Ruthenium tetroxide,
102 various modifications of Super Glue 64,213 (including experiments using
an animal model) 214 and transfer to polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
sheets, 215 and casting techniques 30 have all been mentioned.
Wilkinson and Watkin 91 described a europium chelate (TEC) designed to
exploit the narrow emission band of the rare earths using intramolecular energy
transfer to overcome its poor absorption characteristics and successfully applied
this technique to cyanoacrylate-developed latents on cadaver skin under certain
conditions. In comparing this procedure to others, however, they generally got
the most consistent results with an iodine-benzoflavone technique. 216
Generally, hairless areas of smooth skin on a fresh body are more likely
to yield identifiable latent prints. However, there has yet to be a single,
effective procedure developed, and success rates are very low.
Development of Latent Fingerprints on Wet Surfaces
Morris and Wells patented a technique for developing latent prints on wet
surfaces, especially wet paper, that used finely divided particles in a surfactant
solution. 31 This reagent is called stabilized physical developer (SPD; see Physical
Developer on page 136). 217 SPD has been found to offer considerable
potential for the detection of latent prints on surfaces that have been exposed
to water. SPD reagent consists of a solution containing ferrous ammonium
sulfate and ferric nitrate, silver nitrate, citric acid buffer, and two surfactants:
laurylamine acetate and Lissapol. The development is done under tungsten light
to reduce random background deposition over the entire surface.
Development of Latent Fingerprints on Other Special Surfaces
Periodically, there have been reports on special techniques or variations of existing
techniques to improve development of latent prints on unusual surfaces,
such as incendiary bottles, 218-220 stones, 221 firearms and firearms-related evidence,
96,168,222-225 computer components in gaming machines, 226 deer antlers, 227
and aluminum foil. 228 Levi and Leifer229 described a procedure to create contrast
between latent prints on glass bottles and the glass for photography.
Luminescence/Fluorescence — Laser and Alternative Light
Source Methods for Latent Print Enhancement
Laser Light and Alternative Light Sources
The ability to use laser illumination to detect latent fingerprints is one of the
most significant developments in this field ever. The routine use of laser