| Author | Message | ||
     Andrew Reitnauer (Areitnau) Member Username: Areitnau Post Number: 5 Registered: 06-2007 |
The honest answer to this question is that there are too many variables in the situation. If person 1 touches the gun in a place where no one else touches it, then there could be a recovery of that latent print. Likewise, if another person touches the gun in the same place it may distort the latent from person 1 making it not of value. Latent prints are very fragile, composed primarily of water (98-99%), if the gun was treated to resist rusting or has textured or small surface areas, the liklihood of retaining a latent impression is much less likely than one deposited on a surface such as plate glass. On TV (especially CSI) prints are recovered 100% of the time, IDed on a computer in a short time, and warrants issued, but in reality it is not like that. Fingerprints are a unique form of physical evidence. A person can touch an object and not leave a fingerprint. Another person could touch the same object and a print could be recovered 5 years later. However, to answer your question, there are too many factors that could affect the fingerprint to accurately answer the scenario you presented. | ||
| Bob (Csi_to) Member Username: Csi_to Post Number: 1 Registered: 08-2007 |
My brother and I are both CSI fanatics :D. My brother is going to work for the IAI next month (lucky him), and he asked me this trivia question. If say, 5 people touch a paintball gun that was used to vandalise a certain property. And Person 1 touched the gun first. If everybody has a equal turn with the gun, how likely is it that they will find a nice, usuable print of Person 1 on the gun? Would that be enough to get an arrest warrant? |
