Classification of tools

1. CHAPTER 6
FINGERPRINTS
RECORDING
RUBEN M. NARRAZID
JR. RC
CCJE INSTRUCTOR
Western Philippines University

2. At the end of this chapter, the students shall be able to:
1. Identify and tell the uses of the materials that compose a fingerprint
kit;
2. Enumerate the materials used in recording fingerprints;
3. Distinguish plain and rolled impression;
4. Distinguish filling out and recording;
5. Identify and explain the procedure in recording fingerprints;
6. Explain the common errors in recording fingerprints;

3. 7.Explain the contents of the quality checklist of recorded fingerprints;
8. Name some practical importance and uses of fingerprints;
9. Explain the procedure of recording fingerprints of living and dead
persons; and
10. Identify the problems encountered when recording fingerprints of a
dead persons.

4. Fingerprint Materials

5. Fingerprint Kit
Ink roller - is one of the inking
devices required for spreading
the ink on the ink slab

6. Ink slab - is a piece of glass which
is about ¼ inch thick and six or
more inches long

7. Card holder - is a type of gadget used for clipping
the fingerprint card to avoid

8. Fingerprint ink – is
specially manufactured
ink for
purposes of taking
fingerprints

9. Magnifying glass
- is used in examining
developed latent prints.
a 3-inch wide reading
glass is required.

10. a. Linen tester - has an
opening of one square
inch, with fixed focus, and
which can be folded and
carried in a pocket when
necessary

11. Bausch and Lomb magnifier –
is also known as “horse shoe
magnifier”.This is a magnifying
glass with a built-in stand and
an adjustable lens to suit the
visual sight of the examiner.

12. • Hand lens
– is used in examining
developed print handled
by hand.

13. Fingerprint powder -is
specially manufactured and
specifically used for
developing latent prints
applied on contrasting
background.

14. Fingerprint brush - is
used in spreading the
powder in a rotating
motion. Fiberglass brushes
are preferably used by
fingerprint technicians

15. Fingerprint lifting tape - is used in lifting a
developed latent print.
There are three kinds:

16. Frosted
Rubber
Transparent

17. Latent fingerprint transfer card- is used in
preserving developed, lifted latent prints.

18. Fingerprint card- is a card used for recording
inked fingerprints for comparison.

20. • Flashlight - is a very useful device for
searching and for focusing on developed
latent prints.

21. Ruler or tape measure- is used to measure
relative distances of objects in the crime scene
as well as distances and size of prints.

22. Pair of forceps
- is used in picking up
objects found in the
crime scene.

23. Graph paper- is used for sketching purposes to
indicate proper locations and measurements of
objects in the crime scene.

24. • Evidence identification tape or tag- is used to
properly tag and identify objects or physical
evidence gathered from the crime scene.

25. Scissors- are used in cutting fingerprint
tapes and for other purposes.

26. • Rubber gloves- are used primarily to avoid the
technician to leave his own fingerprints in the
object being collected or examined.

27. Post-mortem fingerprinting equipment -
contains hypodermic syringe, spoon, tissue
builder solvent, tissue cleaner, etc.

28. • Carrying case- is a box-like structure or an
attache type that contains the fingerprint
materials.

29. Inkless inking device- is a porelon pad,
sensitized fingerprint card used to record
fingerprints even without staining the fingers.

30. FINGERPRINT IMPRESSIONS
• PLAIN impressions- is one made by pressing an inked
finger directly down upon a fingerprint card without any
rolling motion done.

31. • ROLLED impressions - is one made by rolling an
inked finger from one side of the finger nail to the
other. It will record the entire ridge pattern of the
nail joint of the finger.

32. “FILLING OUT” FINGERPRINT CARD
in fingerprint terminology, “filling out” means the
entering on a fingerprint record card of all known essential
data about the subject, except the fingerprints themselves.
Some of the essential data include complete name of
suspect/person fingerprinted (first, middle and surname),
nickname, sex, age, citizenship, complexion, race, height,
weight, color of hair, color of eyes, body built, address,
occupation, place of birth, date of birth, scars/marks or
amputations, date the fingerprints were taken.

34. At the back of the fingerprint card are found the civil
status, business or provincial address, educational attainment,
language or dialets spoken, person to be notified in case of
emergency, and purpose of fingerprinting. The information to be
written should be printed and signed by the person
fingerprinted. The operator’s name and signature is also
required in the fingerprint card (Montojo, 2006 LESSONS 4.1-11)
In some agency the subject’s surname is entered first,
followed by his given name and then by his middle name,
separated by the separated by the smaller letter “y”. The
“surname” always means the last or family name of the subject.
The “given” name is that given the subject at birth. in some
agencies the name is written out just like how a signature is
written, that is, given or first name, middle name or initial, and
the surname.

35. It should be noted that any information deliberately written in the
fingerprint card which are not true may be punishable under Article 171
and 172 (Falsification) of Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.
Recording is the method of placing the prints in their proper spaces on
the fingerprint card. When recording fingerprints, the first and second
five boxes should be properly rolled over fingerprint card. Then, the
thumbs shall be plainly recorded simultaneously.

36. The word “classification” printed in the upper right hand
corner of the card is very important part of the fingerprint
card. On this line is entered the classification for the set of
prints on the card. It is by this classification that the
fingerprint card is filed.
The classification also enables that technician to make a
search in the file to determine whether or not a certain
subject already has a set of prints on file. Beneath the word
“classification” is the word “reference”.

37. Types of Fingerprint Card
• There are two types of fingerprint card: the
criminal and civilian fingerprint card. The criminal
fingerprint card is used to record fingerprints of
suspects and criminal and other identities of the
person being fingerprinted.
• The second type is the second type is the
civilian fingerprint card which is also used in
recording fingerprints of a civilian for various
purposes such as requirement for employment,
clearance, etc.. in this card, there is a place to list
the names and addresses of several relatives who
could be notified in case of emergency. There is
also a space for the purpose of fingerprinting.

38. At the back of the fingerprint card are found the civil status, business or
provincial address, educational attainment, language or dialects spoken,
person to be notified in case of emergency, and purpose of fingerprinting.
The information to be written should be PRINTED and SIGNED by the
person fingerprinted. The operator’s name and signature is also require
in the fingerprint card.

39. Procedures of Recording Fingerprint
• The fingerprints technician’s value depends, to a great extent
on how well he can record legible fingerprints. It is not a
difficult process, but it does require practice and care. Follow
the procedure bellow:
• 1. Let the subject fill-up all needed data as provided in the
fingerprint card.
• 2. Make sure that all needed material are ready.
• 3. Clean the materials to be used specially the ink slab.
• 4. Ink and spread ink in the glass slab at both ends. Use the
fingerprint roller in spreading the ink by running back and forth
in a constant direction.do not put too much ink.

40. 5. Allow the ink on the plate to spin in the air. This is
done in order to give the ink a chance to take hold at new
places on the slab. After a bit of practice, you will find it
easy to get just the proper amount of ink on the plate.
6. Test the amount of ink on the slab. Try a print of one
of your own fingers from the freshly inked slab. Match
this fresh print with the older one for clarity and destiny.
Another way to test is to hold the plate up to the light.
Looking through the thin and uniformly spread film of ink
you should see a light brown coating on the slab, not
black, as you might suspect.

41. 7. Print the fingerprints of the suspect. Before starting o
fingerprint a subject, make sure that his hands are clean and dry.
a. If they are dirty, have him wash them well with soap and water
b. If his hands perspiring freely, wipe them off with a soft, clean
cloth dampened with alcohol.
c. If the suspect’s hands are dry and hard, pour a little hand lotion
into his palms of the hands and have them massage it into his
fingertips. Be careful not to use so much that his finger become
greasy.
d. Have him massage the lotion into his fingers until the ridges
become tacky.
e. Tell the subject not to help you. This holds true even if he tells
you that he has been fingerprinted before.

42. 8. Place the inked glass slab near edge of the table at
extreme left.
9. Place the fingerprint card in the card holder which is to
the right of the inking plate. The first row of five squares is
properly aligned to the aperture of the card holder lid.
10. Ink and print the ten fingers following the sequence
presented in the table.
1
Right
Thumb
2
Right
Index
Finger
3
Right
Middle
Finger
4
Right
Ring
Finger
5
Right
Little
Finger
6
Left
Thumb
7
Left
Index
Finger
8
Left
Middle
Finger
9
Left
Ring
Finger
10
Left
Little
Finger

43. Inking and Printing Fingers
• At the front of the card
• a. The thumbs should be rolled towards the subject’s
body (inward).
• b. The four other fingers (refer to the right and left index,
middle, ring and little fingers) shall be rolled away from
the subject’s body (outward).
• c. The rolling of fingers should be done 180 degrees or
from tip to tip and side by side of the fingers in order to
record the complete design or pattern of the fingerprint.
There is a need to record the fingerprints in rolling motion
due to the fact that important ridge details might be
located in the sides or tip of the fingers. Ridge details are
not always located in the center of the pattern.

44. Little Finger
5
Right
Ring Finger
4
Right
Middle Finger
3
Right
Index Finger
2
Right
1
Right
Thumb
Thumb Index Finger Middle Finger Ring Finger Little Finger
1
Left
2
Left
3
Left
4
Left
5
Left

45. At the back of the card
• 1. Print the two thumbs in the box provided below the fingerprint
card
(no rolling motion)
• 2. Print the four other fingers (the right and left index, middle, ring
and little fingers) simultaneously in the space provided below the
fingerprint card.
• 3. Say “thank you” to the subject for his/her participation.

46. Checklist for Recording Fingerprints
To verify if the fingerprint impressions meet the
requirements, please use the following checklist:
1. Is there a fingerprint impression in each finger block (e.g.,
AMP, finger missing at birth, unable to print, etc.)?
2. Are the fingerprints rolled fully, from nail edge to nail
edge?
3. If the fingerprint impression is a loop, are the delta and
core present? If the fingerprint impression is the whorl, are
all deltas present?
4. Are the fingerprint impression clear and distinct?
5. Are the fingerprint impressions uniform in tone and not
too dark nor light?

47. 6. Are the four finger impressions and a thumb
impression in the plain impression block for each
hand?
7. Are the rolled fingerprint impression in the correct
finger blocks when compared to the plain
impressions?
Please note: if using live scan equipment to capture
fingerprint impression, it is important to clean the
equipment regularly and calibrate routinely per the
manufacturer’s guidelines to ensure the quality and
integrity of the fingerprint images.

48. EXAMPLE

49. Identification of a dead body is an important task in a
medico-legal investigation. A fingerprint is the most widely
used identification method. The method of recording the
fingerprint from a dead body has to be decided. This is
decided by the state in which the dead body is found.
In postmortem fingerprinting, there are three different stages
of a dead body:
Stage 1 - Recent death stage:
If a body is found within 4 to 7 hours of death, then the external
organs, including fingers, are quite flexible. In that case, we can
secure fingerprints of the dead body by following methods:

50. • Fingerprint Pad Method:
This method is helpful only if the fingers are sufficiently flexible after death.
In this method, the fingers are rolled in the inked pad. For this purpose, it is
more convenient to use one digit fingerprint pad. The inked finger is then
rolled over an appropriate box of the fingerprint card.
If the finger of a dead body is moderately flexible, then we used the ink
method for impression. In this method, a drop of fingerprint ink is taken
over a spatula and spread it using an ink roller. The spatula is then used to
apply ink to the fingertip. A fingerprint card is placed in a fingerprint spoon,
the spoon is rolled over the inked finger.
• Fingerprint Ink Method:

51. • Fingerprint Powder and Tape Method:
In that case when the fingers of a dead body are rigid then we used this
method. In this method, we apply fingerprint powder on the fingertip with
the help of a camel hairbrush. Lifting tape is then pressed firmly over the
finger and removed and pasted it on the fingerprint card.

52. Stage 2- Rigor Mortis:
If the body is in the rigor mortis state for a long time, the skin of fingers
becomes shrunken and wrinkled. In such cases, suitable fluid (hot water,
melted paraffin, and oils) must be injected beneath the skin to remove
wrinkles and to restore the fingers to their original shape. The needle is
inserted about 4-5 mm below the fingertips.
If the dead body has been exposed to a hot climate for a long time, the
fingers become very hard and dry. In that case, we amputate the digits with
the help of a bone spine. The amputated fingers are soaked in an aqueous
solution of potassium hydroxide. Each finger is immersed in a separate
vessel, when finger restored their original length, removed it from solution,
washed amputated fingers with distilled water, and then soaked in 1%
formaldehyde solution. Further the fingerprint techniques can be used for
recording the prints.

53. Stage 3- Decomposition
The case where the dead body has started to decay are the most difficult to
handle. In such a case, the pattern-bearing skin of fingertips is peeled off and
placed in a solution of formaldehyde. The person who takes the fingerprints wears
gloves and places skin pieces on his own fingers. Thereafter the rolled
fingerprinting is recorded on fingerprinting cards. In some cases, the tissue may be
decomposed so badly, that we injected opaque material (barium sulfate or lead
carbonate) into the inner surface of fingers and then identify by X-ray photographs.

57. Identify the problems encountered when recording fingerprints of a dead persons
- The problems encountered with deceased is rigor mortis and straightening the
fingers to print then you have the post mortem condition of the body with problems
associated with wet decompositon and skin slippage and cases of mummification
with the digits being dry hard and wrinkled.

58. Portable Fingerprint Kit
The kit, designed by Galton himself and made by T. Hawksley of Oxford Street, contains ink, a
blotter, a roller, a glass slide, turpentine and record books. The records show that in the course
of his experiments (not for criminal investigations!), Galton took the fingerprints
of Gladstone, Herbert Spencer and others. Fingerprinting was introduced into the police force at
the very end of the period, in 1901. The first conviction based on the new system was made in
the following year.

59. THANK YOU