Unique friction ridge skin found on human fingertips, fingers, and palms can deposit latent fingerprints on surfaces. Latent prints are not visible to the naked eye and require chemical, powder, or vapor methods for development. Once developed, latent prints can be used by law enforcement to identify criminals through comparison to prints in databases or to those of suspects. The accuracy and reliability of latent print analysis depends on the expertise of fingerprint examiners.

2. A. Appreciate the uniqueness of fingerprint as a means of
personal identification.
B. To identify the strengths, weakness, opportunities and
possible threats of the methods in developing latent
prints.
C. To adopt the different methods discussed in a classroom
instruction and doing laboratory works in fingerprint
courses.

3. A vital key to solving many crimes is the identification of latent
friction skin from evidence collected at the scene. Unique to every
individual in the world, as well as permanence in the arrangement, this
friction skin is located on fingertips, fingers, palms as well as the feet
of humans. Formed when the person’s natural oils and sweat are
deposited onto another surface, latent prints can be located on a
broad range of surfaces.
Since latent prints are not visible to the naked eye, and
substantially consist of only the natural secretions from human skin.
Such print requires treatment to cause them become visible. This
treatment is called latent print development. There are several
methods of developing latent print depending on the surface to be
applied such as: (a) Powder Method, (b) Chemical Methods,
(c) Vapor Methods.

4.  Developed latent prints
in the crime scene will be
used to match of that in
a suspected criminal
offender.
Latent fingerprint identification is of
critical importance to law enforcement
agencies in apprehending criminals.
Considering the huge size of fingerprint
databases maintained by law
enforcement agencies, exhaustive one-to-
one matching is impractical and a
database filtering technique is necessary
to reduce the search space. A multi- stage
filtering system is proposed, which
utilizes pattern type, singular points and
orientation field. (Feng 2008)

5. Impressions left in the
crime scene adheres to
the surface where
glands are deposited
making it hard to
develop.
Latent fingerprint deposition and
effectiveness of detection are
strongly affected by the surface on
which prints are deposited.
Material properties, surface
roughness, morphology, chemistry
and hydrophobicity can affect the
usefulness or efficacy of forensic
print development tecniques.
(Jones 2010)

6.  Fingerprints developed can directly
be compared to that of the perpetrator
thru the Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (AFIS).
 Provides innovation in processing latent
fingerprints.
Fifty- six (56) adjudicated, property
crime cases involving fingerprint
evidence were reviewed using a case-
specific AFIS database tool.
The AFIS tools helped to identify 7
additional latent prints that were not
reported by the initial fingerprint
expert. (Langenburg 2015)
An automatic fingerprint system includes
an optical sensor having a first light
source that provides a collimated beam
for interrogating a first sample surface,
and a camera including a lens and a
photodetector array having a camera field
of view large enough to image the first
sample surface. (Miesak 2013)

7. Accuracy and reliability
of developed latent
prints used as an
evidence relies on the
expertise of the
fingerprint technician.
The interpretation of forensic fingerprint
evidence relies on the expertise of latent
print examiners. The National Research
Council of the National Academies and
the legal and forensic sciences
communities have called for research to
measure the accuracy and reliability of
latent print examiners’ decisions, a
challenging ang complex problem in
need of systematic analysis. (Ulery 2011)

8. While finding, processing, collecting, analyzing and
identifying latent prints is not the only way to catch an offender,
it is one of the oldest and most effective. As modern science has
advanced the field of latent processing, so has the other aspect of
forensic sciences in the ability to prove an individual’s identity.
From eye retina scans, voice fingerprints, ear scans, and DNA are
all now providing methods of a person’s identity. Forensics is
not for just the lab scientist or forensic expert and latent
development anymore, as the technology becomes cheaper and
easier to use, more and more methods of identification will be
developed to speed up and make a daily life easier.

9.  A forensic investigator/ fingerprint technician should
practice the different methods continually to obtain
successful results.
 Explore on possible innovations on the field of
developing latent prints.
 Always have an open and positive mindset as well as
understand the methods and order which they must
be used.

10.  Montalba, E. (2010). Means of Personal Identification. Quezon City
Philippines: Wiseman’s Book Trading, Inc.
 Yamashita, B., & French, M. (2011). Latent Print Development. Chapter 7
 Ulery, B. T. et al. (2011). Accuracy and reliability of forensic latent fingerprint
decisions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
 Jones, B. J., & Downham, R. (2010). Effect of substrate surface topography on
forensic development of latent fingerprint with iron oxide powder
suspension. Surface and Interface Analysis: An International Journal
devoted to the development and application of techniques for the analysis
of surfaces, interfaces and thin films volume 42.
 Feng, J., & Jain, A. K. (2008). Filtering large fingerprint database for latent
matching. 19th International Conference on Pattern Recognition.
 Miesak, E. & Gold Jr, E. V. (2013). Latent fingerprint detectors and
fingerprint scanners therefrom. US Patent.
 Langenburg, G., Hall, C. & Rosemarie, Q. (2015). Utilizing AFIS searching
tools to reduce errors in fingerprint casework. Forensic Science
International.

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