Fingerprinting Essay

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Police officers are called on scene to a murder. Upon entering the house where the body is located they notice that the house has been torn into pieces with absolutely no sign of the killer. An officer notices that the kitchen counter has smudged bloody fingerprints. With just one fingerprint, the law enforcement is able to analyze and identify who the killer is. Ever since scientists have discovered that no two fingerprints are alike, they have been used as a means of identification. It was discovered that fingerprints have general ridge patters that allow them to be systematically classified. A regular fingerprint may have as many as 150 ridge characteristics (Fingerprinting-An Emerging Technology). Fingerprinting has become the universal method for identifying and tracking criminals. New techniques are not only able to check millions of criminal records at once, but can also match faces, backgrounds and other characteristics to each criminal (How Fingerprinting Works). This has become a vital part of the law enforcement process.
In England in 1888, Sir Francis Galton developed fingerprint classification so that fingerprints could be retrieved in a decent amount of time (Human Fingerprints). He then established four basic fingerprint patterns which are the arch, the loop, the whorls, and the composites. In an arch, the ridge runs all the way from one side of the finger to another without any twisting or curving. In a loop fingerprint, the ridges make a backward turn, however they do not twist. In whorls, there are two or more deltas (deltas are triangular-shaped patterns where different fingerprint ridges meet). Lastly, composites are a variation of the above three patterns.
The three types of fingerprints that can be taken fr...

... middle of paper ...

...ontact with. A fingerprint can be very good evidence in an investigation. This technique has helped the law enforcement tremendously because of how easy it is to identify whose prints were on scene at the crime, and then hopefully it results in arresting the criminal for their wrong doing.

Works Cited
"Fingerprinting." Fingerprinting. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. .
"Fingerprints." Crime Library:. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014. .
"Types of Fingerprints." Types of Fingerprints. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. .
Watson, Stephanie. "How Fingerprinting Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 24 Mar. 2008. Web. 9 May 2014. .

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