Posted by Les Bush on January 14, 2000 at 18:02:51:
I have been a Police officer for 23 years and a fingerprint expert for the past 8 years. The views I express are my own and not that of my organisation. I feel it is timely that we support those who are the future of fingerprinting and this case is an excellent opportunity. The three wise men are Pat Werthiem, David Grieve and David Ashbaugh, each well known internationally and respected for their influence on our current knowledge of fingerprinting. The timing of this event is not lost on me due to the coincidence of Christmas and the start of a new Millenium, its the birth of a new philosophy and procedure. The resistance has come from those who wish to hang onto the way things have been done in the past and the 'control' mentality.
Historically we saw the replacement of Bertillionage at the turn of last century and the example of the Will West case reinforced the decision to accept fingerprinting as the most efficient and reliable means of recording individuals. The McKie case is the beginning of a painful road for some in replacing once and forever the reliance on set standards. It is being replaced with a new philosophy requiring qualitative and quantitative analysis of the friction ridge detail. As with normal human birth it is a painful process one well remembered but strangely appreciated because it makes the new creation all that more special. The three wise men of Christmas had a star to guide them onto the place they were destined to find, our team has the Internet and the wonders of modern technology to lead them and us onto the new generation of fingerprinting. My thanks to the McKie family for allowing us entry into their drama which involved the very serious offence of murder and the serious allegation against Shirlie. I have been humbled and impressed by the quality of responses on this website I think the three wise men can take heart that they are not too far from their destination and their dream.