| Imagine walking past your favorite park to find a | | | | you have a backup of how the fingerprints look in |
| crowd of people gathering around a scene where an | | | | case anything happens to the collected fingerprints. |
| ambulance and a few police cars are parked, plus rolls | | | | Once this is done, some form of tape pressed |
| of yellow barrier tape all over the place. Your | | | | against the powdered fingerprint and placed on a 3x5 |
| curiosity begins to befall you and you walk towards | | | | card with a contradictory color to the powder. It will |
| the scene, once you've reached the spot, you see a | | | | then be compared manually to the collection of other |
| blood soaked lifeless body sprawled on the floor just | | | | fingerprints or by scanning it via a computer. This |
| like in the movies. You can't help but form a series of | | | | technique has been widely used for a very long time |
| questions in your mind, "Why was she killed?", "Who | | | | but it isn't as effective because the print stick can be |
| would do such a thing?", "Was there a gun?" | | | | tampered with and isn't as effective. |
| Questions like these aren't as easy to be answered | | | | There are other methods of collecting fingerprints as |
| as one would imagine, and not as hard either. | | | | well, such as using an electric pen and a metal filing |
| Forensic science has enabled us to answer such | | | | brush, using chemical bonding agents and by using the |
| questions via a few techniques. One of the methods | | | | gray scale. For example, police can use chemical |
| is by collecting fingerprints. How exactly does one | | | | bonding agents by setting the surface in a specially |
| collect and analyze fingerprints? | | | | heated area and using superglue fumes to warm the |
| The first step is by finding the object or surface | | | | environment thus creating a white substance on the |
| which you suspect was touched by the criminal. This | | | | fingerprint area. For the gray scale method, the most |
| may be an object, for example a gun or a flat | | | | popular way would be livescan technology. Livescan |
| surface such as a table or a door. Look for slightly | | | | technology compromises of a glass pad which will be |
| visible fingerprint marks on the surface and brush | | | | used to obtain the prints are then relayed to the |
| proper colored powder which is easily seen on the | | | | database. |
| surface with a brush. For example, if the surface is | | | | What a way technology has carved for forensic |
| black, use white colored powder. Brushing the | | | | science. Imagine a life without these technologies; |
| powder will make it easier for the fingerprints to be | | | | murderers would get away so freely just like the |
| seen. | | | | murderers of the past, such as Jack the Ripper. |
| The next step is to use a camera to take the | | | | Collecting fingerprints have certainly gone a long way! |
| photos of the prints. This must be done to ensure | | | | |