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Fingerprint
Damage by Chemotherapy Treatment
NIST Latent Fingerprint Home
Page
SWGFAST
Comment on NAS Report
NAS
Report: Strengthening
Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward
Access the
41-page Free
Executive Summary here.
Report
Description from the National
Academies Press:
"Scores of
talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science
community, performing vitally important work. However, they
are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound
policies, and national support. It is clear that change and
advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a
number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the
reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and
promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening
Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward
provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and
suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National
Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce
standards within the forensic science community.
The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science
disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials,
enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful
conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science
in the United States gives a full account of what is
needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including
upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better
training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best
practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation
programs."
News
Release on the report.
Access
the
report
here:

Webcast of
18 Feb 2009 NAS briefing.
New
forensic term after 18 Feb 2009 (?):
Nif·ty [ níftee ]
adjective (comparative nif·ti·er,
superlative nif·ti·est)
Definition:
1. compliant with National
Institute of Forensic Science requirements.
2. stylish and
good-looking: fashionable and good-looking
3. agile: good, quick, and
clever at doing something or using something
4. very good: very good or
effective
Click
here to see news
articles on this topic.
Identifying
the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community
Interesting documents online
at the National
Academies
of Science Committee on Science, Technology and
Law

Presented
by the FBI Laboratory at the IAI Conference on 18
August 2008
Right-click
and download before opening these large files: PDF
Slides (2.4 Mb)
PowerPoint
Slides (3.1 Mb)
See new
Standards and Draft Standards from SWGFAST
Position
Paper on Latent Fingerprint Identification from the
IAI...
29 Nov 2007, from the International
Association for Identification.

ACID
YELLOW Development of Bloody Latent
Prints on Dark Surfaces...
27
Jul
2007
IAI
presentation,
courtesy
of
the
US
Army
Criminal
Investigation
Laboratory.
Right-click
here to download the large PowerPoint
version of this presentation, then open on your
computer.
Right-click
here to download the large PDF version of
this presentation, then open on your computer.
Ninhydrin
Development without expensive or
dangerous solvents. Research
from Korea...
Major Case Prints DRAFT Card
A new card for recording all finger joints/tips and thenar
(base of
palm) areas was drafted by SWGFAST.
See images of the new card here.
The new card is intended
to facilitate comprehensive record
finger and palm prints (AKA Major Case Prints)
when fully completed with existing FBI Fingerprint Card
(Form FD-249
front
and back )
and FBI Palmprint Card (Form FD-884 front
and back )
records. The new card form number is expected to
be FD-884A.
MCP standardization will assist AFIS as more vendors design
systems for handling all friction ridge areas of the hands.
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The
Madrid Error Prints, including Algerian Ouhnane
Daoud's record print, are online here
.
The
US Department of Justice's March 2006 documents
related to the Madrid Error are online at
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0601/PDF_list.htm
(Recommend downloading these files before opening
from your computer).
Among other findings, the 330 page report
criticizes the FBI Laboratory's Examination
SOP, and SWGFAST guidelines, as repetitive, vague and general.
The five-page conclusion from the report is available
here (much smaller file)
.
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"
The Myth of Goats
: How many people have fingerprints that are hard to match?"
by Austin Hicklin, Craig Watson and Brad Ulery
Published as a NIST Interagency Report, NISTIR 7271
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7 Sep 2005 Massachusetts Supreme Court
Oral Arguments
(swf file type)
about Admissibility of Simultaneous Impressions RE:
Commonwealth v. Patterson
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New Hampshire June 2005 Daubert Challenge |
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Another Simon Cole Article
about Fingerprint Error Rates ...Cole begins by hinting
that fingerprint
testimony is similar to selling fake insurance policies
(right-click
to save and open this 94 page pdf document) |
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Is Fingerprinting a Science?
What is a Daubert Hearing?
What is the correct pronunciation of Daubert?
Frequently Asked Questions
Search this web site
Expert topics area
General Information area for Students and most non-experts
Investigator topics area
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New Books on AFIS and Biometrics
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Judge Pollak Reverses Himself
The Honorable Louis H. Pollak
wrote:
Based on the foregoing considerations,
I have concluded that arrangements which,
subject to careful trial court oversight, are
felt to be sufficiently reliable in England, ought likewise
to be found sufficiently reliable in the federal
courts of the United States, subject to similar measures
of trial court oversight. In short, I have changed
my mind. "Wisdom too often never comes, and so" - as Justice
Frankfurter admonished himself and every judge -
"one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late."
(7 January
2002 Court Decision partially against fingerprints
Court Decision )
PA v. Vikara, Convicted After Starrs' Testimony
Prof. James
Starrs was called as an expert in the methodology
of fingerprint comparison, but renounced much of his written
report during cross-examination. Hearing
was October 22, 2001... Defendant convicted of 1st
Degree Murder and Robbery... sentenced to death. Defendant died January
10, 2002 in the State Correctional Institute at Camp Hill, PA.
Critical Author's Opinion Ruled Junk Science
A New York
state judge listened to testimony by Simon Cole about
why he considers the science of fingerprint identification
suspect... and ruled, ..."Even applying the Federal
Court's Daubert Standard, what Dr. Cole has offered here is 'junk
science"...
( Court Decision ) ( Cole's Testimony )
Notorious Daubert Challenge - Bin
Laden's Terrorist Tried It
After his April
6, 2001 conviction, Ahmed Ressam was known to
most of us as just another criminal who failed in his bid to
exclude incriminating fingerprint evidence. As
Paul Harvey would say, we now know the rest of the story...
| A Statement
Regarding Am
eri can
News Shows and Articles about Fingerprint Evidence
Credibility in Court...
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Expert Topics
General Information
Investigator Topics
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