Fingerprints in Criminal Investigations

Fingerprints are important in criminal investigations because they provide hard evidence in the courtroom. If fingerprints are found at a crime scene, they can later be used to accurately identify the person who committed the crime. This is because the fingerprints of each individual person "bear distinct and unique patterns of loops, swirls and arches." No two people have the exact same fingerprints. Therefore, the use of fingerprint evidence in the courtroom is "extremely persuasive." The first reported use of fingerprints in a criminal investigation occurred in Argentina in the year 1892. In that case, some blood-stained fingerprints at a murder scene were identified

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n fact, it is often an impossible task. Computers first began to be used in fingerprint identification during the 1970s. Before that time, no one had yet developed a machine which was capable of matching the patterns of different prints to one another. Then, a computer scientist named John Fitzmaurice created a new system for classifying fingerprints which was adaptable to electronic data processing. Fitzmaurice's new system was based on "the presence of individual points within a grid system." In Fitzmaurice's system, a grid is used to create a framework of intersecting lines. The fingerprint which is taken from the crime scene is placed under this grid. With the grid, it is possible to plot the location of the various ridges and lines that make up the distinct pattern of the fingerprint. A computer is then used to break this information down into numerical codes. These "coded fingerprint characteristics" are used as a means for matching the fingerprint with others which are stored in the computer's memory. Just as the Federal Bureau of Investigation played an important role in the early use of fingerprints for catching criminals, it also played an important role in the early development of computer technology for mat
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Approximate Word count = 2489
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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