| Author | Message | ||
     Kim Lara (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: c250-111.blackberry.net |
Can an identifiable fingerprint be lifted from a tire? | ||
| Webservant (Member) Moderator Username: Member Post Number: 249 Registered: 03-1997 |
Short Answer: Dusting for fingerprints will miss most latent finger and palm prints resulting from the natural secretions of friction ridge skin covering your fingers and palms. Background Details: Unless you often deposit fingerprints in your residence when your hands are contaminated with oil or grease, it is not suprising that dusting found no prints. The friction ridge skin on your fingers, palms, soles and toes include only eccrine glands (sweat glands) which secrete about 99% water and NO oils. After the water in latent finger and palm prints evaporates, the remaining tiny amounts of salt, amino acids, proteins, polypeptides and other solids are not sticky. The water in finger and palm prints secreted from your skin (not from touching popcorn oil, hair oil, etc.) will dry relatively quickly, depending on temperature, relative humidity, the type of surface touched and other factors. When that water has evaporated, there is little or nothing "sticky" remaining in finger and palm prints to hold powder when police dust for prints. One of the Frequently Asked Questions (click here for FAQs) about finger and palm prints is, "Why didn't the police dust my house (or car) for prints when I reported that thieves broke in?" The answer to that question includes an explanation as to what is normal if the police process your home, and also why you normally do NOT want the police to do everything possible to develop perpetrators' latent finger and palm prints in your home (processing which could cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage to walls, floors, furniture, etc.). | ||
| Meg Masterson (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 75-168-41-167.mpls.qwest.net |
We had a break in a few months ago and they came to dust for fingerprints. After about 45 minutes of dusting most of the disturbed articles with both black and white powders, they said they found no prints at all. I don't understand why they wouldn't have found our prints on anything, as two of us live here. Anyone have an answer? |
