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What is the scientific name for fingerprints? What will your fingerprints say? What is fingerprinting

23.02.2022

Traces of human hands are found at the scene much more often than any other traces. These traces are of great forensic significance, since they contain information that can be used to identify a specific person, about the personality traits of the participants in the event under study and some of its circumstances.

Ways to detect handprints

Methods for identifying and detecting handprints can be divided into visual-optical, physical and chemical. Often, the methods are classified into visual-optical, physical, chemical, physico-chemical and microbiological.

Visual-optical methods

Visual-optical methods for detecting traces are based on the observation of specific differences in the interaction of the surface of an object with the light of the trace itself: total or spectral absorption or reflection, scattering, refraction, shadowing and radiation (luminescence). A specific optical method consists in a certain combination of the method of illumination and observation in order to obtain the greatest difference in the contrast of the trace and the surface of the object (with radiation - color), where the choice of angles of view and illumination is important.

Visual-optical methods are used to detect volumetric, colored or hardly visible traces. These methods are based on enhancing contrast by creating favorable lighting and observation conditions. These methods include: examining objects with the “naked eye” from different angles of view or transparent objects through the light or using optical magnification devices (loupe, microscope), lighting ( lamps, lanterns), as well as using a laser, sources of ultraviolet rays, light filters.

The advantages of these methods are simplicity, accessibility and rationality, since they do not lead to the violation of either traces or surfaces of perceiving objects and therefore should be used in the first place.

Physical methods

They are based on the properties of adhesion (attraction) and selective adsorption (absorption) of the trace substance and the possibility of excitation of its own luminescence (glow).

Fingerprint powders

Processing with fingerprint powders is the main and most common way to detect faintly visible and invisible surface handprints on various surfaces.

This method consists in mechanical coloring of the surfaces of objects with powders that differ in structure (fine, coarse), in specific gravity (light and heavy), in color (light, dark, neutral), in magnetism (magnetic and non-magnetic), in composition ( single-component and mixtures, fluorescent and phosphorescent).

When working with powders, the following conditions must be observed: the surface of the object to be treated with powder must be dry and not sticky; powders should be dry and fine, contrasting with the treated surface. All powders are used to detect fresh handprints.

Powders are applied to the surface of a trace-perceiving object in one of several ways:

a) bulk (rolling the powder over the surface of the object under study);

b) using a fluffy brush, fiberglass or magnetic brush;

c) using aerosol dispensers, "air mills".

The main disadvantages of the method:

short detection time, up to 20 days;
contamination of the tracker, which makes it difficult to study it later;
the use of this method on porous objects excludes the subsequent use of iodine, ninhydrin, silver nitrate and its mixture with iodine.

When working with powders, it is necessary to protect the respiratory organs - use a gauze bandage or a disposable respirator.

Method of ultraviolet and infrared rays

This method is used to detect old and invisible traces on multicolored objects; it is universal, i.e. can be applied both at the scene (if the necessary equipment is available) and in the laboratory.

Ultraviolet rays reveal invisible and slightly visible handprints formed by various mineral and vegetable oils, glue, blood, as well as traces treated with luminescent fingerprint powders. In infrared rays, it is possible to detect faintly visible traces and traces of hands stained with soot (soot).

First, the surface under study is treated with fluorescent substances (special luminescent fingerprint powders) that penetrate into the trace and luminesce in ultraviolet rays. If luminescence is observed in the ultraviolet rays of both the object and the trace, then the trace is photographed in infrared rays after preliminary treatment of the surface of the object with graphite powder, which is opaque to infrared rays. Handprints revealed in this way can be recorded using photography.

digging

Footprint digging is used to reveal handprints on polished surfaces. Its essence is as follows: when burning individual objects (for example, casts made using K paste, polystyrene foam, camphor, naphthalene, pine torch, etc.), soot will be abundantly released, which is a fine powder, which colors sweat hand trace.

Using Physical Developers

For this method, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is used - the most famous of foreign aerosols is SPR (Small Particle Reagent). In practice, dark (SPR1OO-Black), white (SPR200-White) and fluorescent (SPR400-UV) aerosol suspensions are used. The essence of the method is that small dark particles of molybdenum disulfide (a physical finely dispersed developer) are deposited on the fatty components contained in the traces. Physical developers detect marks on wet surfaces, surfaces covered with sediments (salt, dirt, grease), such as surfaces, cars in rainy weather or objects removed from bodies of water, where the use of conventional fingerprint powders and brushes can ruin the mark. The finely dispersed suspension works well on dry surfaces, as well as on surfaces that are “difficult” for powders: greasy glass, reinforced concrete, brick, stone, wood, rough and rusty galvanized iron and galvanized metals. SPR can be used on paper, cardboard, wax coatings, plastics, metal, glass, packaging materials. With a powerful atomizer, the SPR can be used underwater.

Surfaces are sprayed from a hand sprayer, and small objects are immersed in the working solution for 2-3 minutes. Then, using a spray bottle with clean water, the identified traces are rinsed, and the moisture is removed (it is not recommended to use a hair dryer to dry the traces). Handprints are revealed in dark gray strokes on a light surface and in light gray strokes on a dark one. Individual traces may be poorly visible on the surface before removal to the trace film. With a solution of molybdenum disulfide, it is possible to process handprints identified by ninhydrin to enhance their contrast. The method also makes it possible to detect traces not detected by ninhydrin. In low concentrations, the molybdenum reagent enhances the traces identified by silver nitrate, which is especially important for "old" traces.

The shelf life of the working qualities of the solution is about four weeks. The shelf life of the aerosol is one year.

The disadvantages of using SPR are: the formation of difficult-to-remove dirty marks when the SPR working substance is left on the treated surface for several months, as well as the fact that the treatment of marks on dry surfaces is inferior to the treatment with powders. The above products are not poisonous, but they are not recommended for indoor or outdoor use where property damage may occur. SPRs are highly contaminating agents and require rinsing with water to remove any residual reagent before photographing and removing the identified traces. The room where they are supposed to be used must be ventilated. It is recommended to use rubber gloves, gauze bandage (disposable respirator) and goggles when working with SPR.

Fumigation with iodine vapor

This method can be attributed to physicochemical methods. It is based on the physical adsorption of iodine vapor on the sweat-fat substance of the trace and its chemical reaction with saturated fatty acids, staining the traces brown.

The advantage of this method is that traces can be processed several times. The disadvantage is that the traces quickly disappear and become invisible.

Crystalline iodine - grayish-black plates with a metallic sheen or intergrowths of crystals with a characteristic odor. Volatile at ordinary temperature, when heated, it actively sublimates, forming vapors. Slightly soluble in water.

Obtaining iodine vapor is possible in two ways:

1. "cold" way. Iodine crystals sublime at room temperature. To do this, the object is brought into contact with glass, on which there is a thin layer of small iodine crystals, or placed in a vessel with iodine crystals at the bottom;

2. "hot" way. Vapors are obtained by heating iodine crystals in a sand bath, spirit lamp, in special apparatus with an electric heating method, etc.

Processing of an object with alleged traces can be done in various ways, the most common of them:

movement of an object over a container (plastic bag, deep dishes) filled with iodine vapor (it is advisable to use a transparent container to control the detection of traces);
placing the object in a container with iodine vapor (if the surface is completely immersed);
movement on the surface of the funnel object (preferably transparent), filled with iodine vapor;
imposition on the surface of an object of an even flat object (for example, clean and dry glass), previously treated with iodine vapor, while the tighter the contact, the better the detection of traces (the neck of the jar in which iodine evaporates is closed with flat glass). After some time, the smallest crystals of iodine are deposited on the glass. This side of the glass is superimposed on the surface where traces are expected. Iodine from the glass passes to the sweat-fat substance and stains the traces;
the use of special iodine tubes of various configurations.

Iodine vapor is produced by passing a jet of air at room temperature through the tube. During operation, the tube is clamped in the hand, the heat of which ensures the transition of crystalline iodine to a gaseous state. Iodine vapor is blown out towards the surface where colorless handprints are expected. With the help of an iodine tube, sweat-fat traces of hands are found on surfaces of any shape.

It should be noted especially that with iodine vapor it is possible to reveal fresh (up to two hours old) traces of hands on the skin of a corpse. To do this, the skin of the corpse is fumigated with iodine vapor using a wide funnel. The removal of traces of hands fumigated with iodine vapor from the human body can be carried out by contact and on silver plates (or less expensive copper plates galvanized with silver) with increased contrast of traces under the action of bright lighting. On such plates, up to four copies can be made from one fumigated trace with a change in the contact time of the plate with the trace. At the time of fixation, the mark should have a light brown tint on the yellow surface of the skin. As a result of using an incandescent lamp for 1-2 minutes, the marks may darken, up to a purple color. The identified traces lose their color after 15-20 minutes, therefore they should be photographed or fixed on the surface of the object with iron powder reduced by hydrogen (carbonyl iron), starch solution, dactolin, iodocopy paper (impregnated with 2% orthotolidine solution).

Iodine is dangerous when inhaled, volatile, causes burns of the respiratory tract, mucous membranes, if ingested - severe burns of the gastrointestinal tract, lethal dose - 3 g.

Chemical methods

Chemical methods are based on a chemical reaction between the components of the trace fatty substance and special reagents that cause their staining or luminescence. They are carried out, as a rule, in laboratory conditions, allow to identify traces of great age and exclude the subsequent biomedical study of the substance of the trace.

Since chemicals change the original appearance of the object, it is recommended to use them in the process of inspecting the scene in exceptional cases.

Ninhydrin

Ninhydrin (triketohydrindenhydrate; 2,2-dihydroxy-1,3-indan-dione) is a white crystalline powder, one of the best chemical reagents for detecting hand marks on porous and rough surfaces, on paper and cardboard, marks on planed and unpainted wood, on fabrics. It interacts with a-amino groups of amino acids, peptides, proteins, sweat-fat substances, staining them in pink-violet color (Ruemann's purple). The use of ninhydrin makes it possible to detect traces of very long prescription (up to 10-15 years).

In practice, various solutions of ninhydrin are used - in acetone, ethanol, petroleum ether, in a multicomponent solution based on HFE-7100, pyridine, ethyl ether, methanol, fluorisole, etc.). Mainly applied 2-5% solution of ninhydrin in acetone, for the preparation of which it is necessary to mix 2-5 g of crystalline ninhydrin and 98-95 g of acetone. To prepare a 2-5% solution of ninhydrin in ethanol (ethyl alcohol), it is necessary to mix 2-5 g of crystalline ninhydrin and 98-95 g of ethanol. The solutions are stirred until the crystalline precipitate is completely dissolved, and should have a transparent yellow color. Please note that the above solutions can dissolve various dyes (ballpoint pen ink, gel pen ink, printing ink, etc.), therefore, if documents whose content is important are processed, then processing must be done with extreme caution or a less aggressive solution should be selected .

A characteristic feature of these multi-component solutions is that the processed document undergoes minimal changes, since not a single dye is practically washed out (including ink, seals and stamps) and the substrate of the object is practically not stained.

The reaction with ninhydrin proceeds well in conditions of high humidity, the best results are achieved with humidity The appearance of traces begins after 20-30 minutes, and within 4-6 hours they become bright purple in color, however, some "old" traces are detected on the surface very slowly gradually - up to 10-14 days from the date of processing.

The chemical activity of ninhydrin continues after the treatment of the object, which, when touched, leads to staining of hands and documents.

If necessary, traces from the object can be removed by wetting with a 15% hydrogen peroxide solution or a saturated sodium thiosulfate solution.

Disadvantages: ninhydrin is relatively easy to decompose during storage and its quality must be periodically checked on control traces; traces found on dark and colored surfaces are poorly distinguishable; the method is designed to detect no more than 60-80% of handprints on an object and is not suitable for objects that have been moistened due to leaching of chlorides. The enzyme quickly loses activity, so it must be stored in a cool, dry place. Traces kept in iodine vapor for more than 10 minutes, and then detected with ninhydrin, have a weaker luminescence after treatment with metal salts compared to untreated with iodine. Fixation of handprints identified by iodine with benzoflavon does not affect their reaction with ninhydrin and may increase their contrast. In some cases, an increase in luminescence is observed after treatment with metal salts of traces of hands, identified first with iodine and fixed with benzoflavon, and then treated with ninhydrin. Re-treatment of traces of hands identified by ninhydrin with zinc or cadmium salts changes their color due to the formation of a luminescent complex when excited by a laser or argon lamp. The quality of the identified traces, especially on texts or painted surfaces, is improved.

The prepared solution of ninhydrin in a spray can is sprayed evenly onto the surface of the object. The spray can should be kept at a distance of 10-15 cm from the surface of the object. After processing, the object is dried in a fume hood. The reaction in room conditions takes about 24 hours, and in some cases - 2-3 days - the traces turn purple. When processing objects that are coated with dyes that are sensitive to solvents (for example, ballpoint pen paste, print impression, etc.), it is most effective to use special ninhydrin solutions. If this is not possible, then the following method can be applied: a blank sheet of paper is impregnated with a solution of ninhydrin, after which this sheet is superimposed on the surface with traces and ironed on top with a hot iron. The same method is used to detect traces on the surface of objects such as plaster, whitewashed wall, building bricks.

To speed up the reaction, an express processing method is used: the object is placed in a ninhydrin chamber at a temperature of 80-115°C. Under these conditions, the trace is painted after 15-20 minutes. Traces on cardboard, plywood, wood for greater contrast can be treated twice with ninhydrin or the concentration of the latter can be increased to 2-5%. Further development of the trace is carried out in normal room conditions or with the use of heat sources.

The traces revealed by ninhydrin do not lose their contrast for several years. If it is necessary to preserve traces, then in this case the ninhydrin that has penetrated the thickness of the paper should be neutralized. Otherwise, subsequent touching of the document with unprotected hands may stain the resulting skin marks. The surface of the examined document is wetted with this solution. In this case, the identified traces of purple ninhydrin turn red. A change in the color of the traces is a sign of the complete neutralization of ninhydrin.

Nitrate silver

Silver nitrate (AgN03 lapis) - the method is photochemical in nature, based on the interaction with salts of sodium chloride and potassium chloride of the sweat substance and is used to detect handprints on paper, cardboard, plywood, unpainted wood up to one month old (in some cases - up to six months) sometimes on fabrics.

In practice, 1-10% solutions are usually used (in various solvents). As a result of the reaction, silver chloride is formed, which, under the influence of sunlight or ultraviolet rays, easily decomposes and turns into metallic silver, which colors the skin pattern displayed in the trace in a dark brown (up to black) color.

Most often, a 5-10% solution of silver nitrate in distilled water is used, or from 0.5 to 5 g of silver nitrate, 1 g of citric acid, 0.5 tartaric acid are dissolved in 100 ml of distilled water and 3-5 drops of concentrated nitric acid.

The solution is applied to the surface with a spray bottle, a cotton swab, or the object is immersed in a solution of silver nitrate. For fresh traces, a less concentrated solution is used. Fixing the identified traces is carried out with a solution of sodium hydrosulfate.

The process of detecting traces can be accelerated by irradiating the treated object with ultraviolet rays until the trace appears. After a few days, the traces that appear become indistinct and unsuitable for identification due to the darkening of the general background, so the identified traces are immediately photographed.

Silver nitrate is used to enhance the traces of hands identified by ninhydrin, for which a solution - 0.3 g of silver nitrate 100 ml of ethyl alcohol - is applied to weakly identified traces with a cotton swab and exposed to light. With a combination of methods for detecting traces, silver nitrate can only be used after the use of ninhydrin.

Alloxan

A 1-1.5% solution of alloxan in acetone or alcohol is used. The marks turn orange and have a bright crimson glow in ultraviolet light. Traces appear in a time from 2 hours to 1-2 days.

A solution of benzidine in alcohol with hydrogen peroxide

A solution of benzidine in alcohol with hydrogen peroxide (five parts of a 0.1% solution of benzidine in alcohol and one part of 3% hydrogen peroxide) is used to detect handprints formed by layering of blood. Blood traces treated with this solution turn blue-green. The color is stable and does not require additional fixing.

Luminol

Luminol - an aqueous solution of 3-aminophthalhydrazite and sodium carbonate (in a ratio of 0.14: 0.2), is used to identify and diagnose hand marks formed by blood, vegetable and fruit juices, as well as some paints and metal powders.

Surface treatment is carried out by spraying in a darkened room and leads to a short-term glow of traces. It should be borne in mind that when using luminol, the luminescence of blood or metals is not differentiated, and the possibility of a subsequent biological study of traces formed by blood is also excluded.

Ardrox

Ardrox is a reagent for traces on non-porous plastic surfaces and PVC materials. It is used both in pure form and in solution with sequential mixing of 10 ml of Ardrox concentrate + 20 ml of acetonitrile + 980 ml of isopropyl alcohol (as well as in methanol, ethanol). Two minutes after spraying, the object is washed with water and dried. Yellow-green luminescence traces are observed in ultraviolet rays (UFL) at a wavelength of 350-365 nm, the best results are achieved at a wavelength of 450-480 nm.

Rhodamine

Rhodamine 6G (Rhodamine 6G) - a saturated solution in methanol, diluted four times with freon.

Luminescence is observed at a wavelength of 514.5 nm in the beams of an argon-krypton laser. It is one of the best laser dyes. Can be diluted in methanol, a simple solvent or water and used on metal, glass, leather, plastic and more.

Illustrations for methods for detecting handprints

Click to enlarge

Methods for fixing and removing fingerprints

Traces of hands found (revealed) at the scene of the incident must be recorded. The main method of fixation is the description of the traces in the protocol of the inspection of the scene, additional - photographing; drawing up schematic sketches, diagrams, plans; fixing the trace on the object; trace copying.

In the most general form, the description of handprints in the protocol can be carried out according to the following scheme: characteristics of the object on which traces were found, its name, location, state of the object itself and its surface; individual features of the item (number, marking); method of detecting traces, quantity, shape, size, location on the object and relative position; the type of each trace (superficial, volumetric, fat-fat - hardly visible, invisible, if colored, then its color); type of papillary pattern (curl, loop, arc); whether the traces were processed, if so, how; whether photographs of handprints were made; methods of removing the trace (object), the color and dimensions of the trace copy film on which the traces were withdrawn; how the trace was packed (characteristic of the material), the content of the inscription made on the packaging and what seal it was sealed with.

If possible, an object with traces of hands is removed in kind, and if it is impossible to do this, the traces are fixed by copying, i.e. transferring them to a trace copy film. Depending on the color of the powder used to detect traces, a special trace copying black (for light powders) or a transparent film (for black powders) is used. It consists of two sheets of celluloid, on one of which (the main one) a copying mass is applied. The other sheet is protective, it protects the copy mass from drying out during film storage; after copying the trace, the protective layer is again superimposed on the main one and protects the copy from damage.

Direct fixing of traces on the object is carried out with the help of aerosols (hairspray, etc.); traces treated with iodine vapor, as noted above, are fixed with iron powder reduced by hydrogen.

Contact copying of traces is carried out on: sticky tapes; fixed soaked photo paper; medical adhesive plaster; insulating tape; vulcanized rubber; polymer materials (trace copying tool "Copy"); traces treated with iodine vapor can be copied onto self-coloring film or paper.

The production of casts from volumetric traces of hands is carried out using various synthetic materials (pastes, solutions, mixtures).

What is fingerprinting?

Fingerprinting is a method that allows you to identify a person by fingerprints (including the prints of the palms of the hands).

Fingerprinting - (from the Greek daktylos - finger + skopeo - I look).

Background

Back in the 1st millennium BC. e. in China and Babylon, there were ideas about the uniqueness of the fingerprints of each person. Fingerprints were made on clay tablets and seals, and in Persia in the 14th century, various government documents were “signed” with fingerprints.

In 1686 the Italian scientist Marcelo Malpighi, professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna classified papillary patterns on human fingertips. He first proved that lines form three types of patterns -, and.

Almost two centuries later, in 1823, scientist from the University of Breslau Johann Purkinji identified the eight most frequently repeated configurations of papillary lines. Thanks to his work, fingerprints began to be used to identify a person.

The word "dactyloscopy" was first pronounced in 1877 by the English clerk William Herschel, who worked at that time in Bengal (India). He found that the hands of people differ from each other in structural features and do not change throughout life. Any attempts to destroy or change this layer, as well as to transplant the skin, are useless: the pattern cannot be erased. William Herschel took advantage of this property when he encountered fraudulent wages paid to employees. Upon discovering the fraud, Herschel had the workers put their fingerprints on pay stubs and in a special registration book for comparison, which made it possible to unmistakably identify the recipient. He later used fingerprints to register prisoners. Since then, fingerprint identification has been the most widely used biometric technology.

Fingerprint map of Herschel Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Where is fingerprinting used?

In Russia, for the majority of citizens, state fingerprint registration is voluntary, and, moreover, free of charge. It is widely used by law enforcement agencies for:

search for missing citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons;
establishing the identity of a person on unidentified corpses;
establishing/confirming the identity of citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons;
prevention, disclosure and investigation of crimes, as well as prevention and detection of administrative offenses.

How is the fingerprinting procedure carried out?

During fingerprinting, it is important to get clear prints. Impressions are made in such a way that the papillary patterns of the fingers are displayed. The imprints of the four fingers of each hand and separately the thumbs are applied to the fingerprint card.

A fingerprint card is a special form on thick white paper (density not less than 120 g/m), which contains the following information:

gender, surname, name and patronymic;
date, month, year of birth, place of birth;
prints of all nail phalanges of the fingers, control prints of fingers, prints of the palms of the hands;
the signature of the person being fingerprinted;
date of fingerprinting;
the body where the fingerprinting was carried out;
basis for fingerprinting, position, surname and signature of the employee who filled out the fingerprint card.

On the fingerprint card, a separate table is assigned for each finger: thumb, index, middle, and so on. On the back of the fingerprint card are handprints.

Before starting the fingerprinting procedure, be sure to wash your hands with soap and dry. Then the employee carefully paints over each fingertip with a roller smeared with sticky black paint, after which he applies them in turn to the form.

Fingerprints today can also be obtained using special scanners that allow you to instantly read fingerprints without the use of paper and black ink.

Fingerprinting of minors requires a prosecutor's sanction or an appropriate court decision.

If you want to undergo a fingerprinting procedure, then you need to come with a passport or other identity document to the police department and fill out an application.

Fingerprint 3D Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Wamelculi

Who is required to undergo a fingerprinting procedure?

Mandatory fingerprinting is subject to:

a) citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service;

b) military personnel;

c) citizens of the Russian Federation serving:

in the internal affairs bodies;
in the bodies of the federal security service;
in foreign intelligence agencies;
in the bodies for control over the circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;
in the bodies of the state tax service;
in the bodies for civil defense, emergency situations and elimination of consequences of natural disasters;
in the bodies and divisions of the bailiff service;
in the customs authorities;
in state security bodies;
in institutions and bodies of the penitentiary system;
state fire service;

d) rescuers of professional emergency rescue services and professional emergency rescue units of the Russian Federation;

e) crew members of aircraft of state, civil and experimental aviation of the Russian Federation;

The fingerprint scanner. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / David Shankbone

f) citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons who, due to health or age, are unable to provide information about their identity, if it is impossible to establish the specified data in another way;

g) citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons suspected of committing a crime, accused of committing a crime or convicted of committing a crime, subjected to administrative arrest, who have committed an administrative offense, if it is impossible to establish their identity in any other way;

h) foreign citizens and stateless persons subject to expulsion (deportation) from the territory of the Russian Federation;

i) foreign citizens and stateless persons who arrived in the Russian Federation in search of asylum and filed applications for political or other asylum or for recognition as refugees on the territory of the Russian Federation;

j) foreign citizens illegally staying on the territory of the Russian Federation;

k) foreign citizens who have received a temporary residence permit.

l) citizens of the Russian Federation applying for a private security guard / detective certificate

Which countries require fingerprinting?

Russia

From December 10, 2014, Russia plans to make it mandatory for everyone to take fingerprints when applying for visas to enter the country.

Since 2002, US law has required fingerprints to be scanned at US embassies and consulates around the world for all US visa applicants. U.S. border checkpoints also conduct biometric checks to identify entrants and rule out cases of entry on someone else's visa.

EU countries

From 2014, fingerprints will be taken from those entering the Schengen area.

United Kingdom

From November 30, 2009, the UK introduced fingerprint controls for those entering the country at British border crossings.

Japan

Since November 2007, all foreigners entering Japan have been fingerprinted.

Brazil

In January 2004, Brazilian authorities began fingerprinting US tourists.

Iran

US citizens entering the country undergo a mandatory fingerprinting procedure.

Malaysia

From June 1, 2011, all foreigners coming to Malaysia undergo a mandatory two-finger scanning procedure. This was introduced to prevent crime and combat terrorism.

The Republic of Korea

Since September 2010, fingerprints have been handed over at airports and seaports of the country:

foreign citizens who have similar biographical data with those of persons involved in the activities of international terrorist groups;
holders of passports wanted by Interpol and other international security agencies;
holders of one-way air tickets purchased on the day of departure;
citizens suspected of using false passports and other identification documents;
persons suspected of falsifying citizenship information.

Indonesia

From May 1, 2010, tourists arriving at Indonesian airports must undergo mandatory fingerprinting and take pictures. The innovation applies to all travelers.

Papillary patterns (lines) on the hands - relief lines on the palms, appear in the human fetus at the time of the formation of the skin and remain unchanged until his death. Each person has an individual structure of papillary lines.

Subject, methods and system of criminalistics
- The essence and tasks of forensic science, its place in the system of other sciences
  - The object of the science of criminology
  - Relationships of forensic science
- Forensic methods
  - General scientific methods used in forensics
  - Special Methods
- System and basic concepts of forensic science
  - Forensic categories
  - Investigative situation
History of the development of forensic science
- The origin and development of forensic knowledge in pre-revolutionary Russia
  - The origin and development of forensic knowledge in pre-revolutionary Russia - page 2
- The development of forensic science in the Soviet period
  - The development of forensic science in the Soviet period - page 2
- Development of foreign forensics
Forensic identification and diagnostics
- The concept and scientific basis of forensic identification
- Objects and process of forensic identification
  - Objects and process of forensic identification - page 2
- Types of identification studies
- Forensic diagnostics
General theoretical provisions of forensic technology
- System and rules for the use of technical and forensic means
- Classification of technical and forensic means
- Technical and forensic means used in the course of investigative actions
- Technical and forensic tools used for expert research of forensic objects
- The use of technical and forensic tools to solve other forensic problems
Computers as a means of forensic technology
- The value of information and computer support for forensic activities
- Computerization of the crime investigation process
  - Means of automating the investigation of criminal cases
  - Automated fingerprint identification system
- Computerization of expert research
  - Computerization of expert research - page 2
Forensic photography, videotape and holography
- The system and meaning of forensic photography
- Forensic operational photography
  - Photographing during the inspection of the scene
- Forensic research photography
- Forensic videotape
- Forensic holography
  - Forensic holography - page 2
  - Forensic holography - page 3
Forensic Habitoscopy
- Rules for verbal description of a person's appearance
  - Rules for verbal description of a person's appearance - page 2
- Anatomical (morphological) signs of the external structure of a person
  - Eyes
  - cheekbones
  - hairline
  - torso
- Functional signs, special and catchy signs of appearance
- Sources of information about the appearance of a person
- Using the technique of "verbal portrait" in operational-search and investigative practice
  - Using the "verbal portrait" technique in operational-search and investigative practice - page 2
- Photo-portrait expertise
- Identification of a person by genetic characteristics
  - Identification of a person by genetic characteristics - page 2
Traceology
- Classification of traces, rules for their detection and seizure
  - Classification of traces, rules for their detection and seizure - page 2
- Handprints
  - The mechanism of the formation of handprints and methods for their detection
- footprints
- Traces of hacking tools and tools
  - Inspection of broken locks and barriers
  - Fixation of traces
- Vehicle tracks
Materials, substances, products as carriers of forensically significant information
- General provisions and tasks of forensic research of materials, substances and products
- Types and possibilities of forensic research of materials, substances and products
  - Types and possibilities of forensic research of materials, substances and products - page 2
- Forensic investigation of micro-objects
  - Forensic investigation of micro-objects - page 2
  - Forensic investigation of micro-objects - page 3
Forensic odorology
- The concept and classification of odorological objects
- Working with human scent traces
Forensic weapons science
- General provisions of forensic weapons science
  - General provisions of forensic weapons science - page 2
- Classification and information content of ballistic objects
- Classification and characteristics of handguns
  - Ammunition for firearms
  - Traces resulting from the use of firearms
- Detection, inspection, fixation and seizure of firearms and traces of a shot
- Forensic analysis of weapons and traces of their action
Forensic explosives
- General provisions of forensic explosives
- Detection, examination, fixation, removal and examination of explosive objects
Forensic documentation
- The concept, types and tasks of forensic documentation
- The concept and classification of objects under study
- Identification of means and materials used for the production of documents
  - Research of printing materials
- Establishing the presence and method of falsification of documents
  - Establishing the presence and method of falsification of documents - page 2
- Restoration of unreadable records, torn and burned documents, reading encrypted correspondence
- Study of document materials
Forensic investigation of writing and writing
- Scientific foundations of forensic research of writing and writing
  - Scientific basis of forensic research of writing and writing - page 2
- The concept, classification and information content of handwriting features
  - Topographic features of handwriting
  - General signs of handwriting
  - Private signs of handwriting
Forensic phonology
- Scientific foundations of forensic phonology
- Determination of personal qualities of a person on the basis of oral speech
  - Determination of a person's personal qualities on the basis of oral speech - page 2
- Automated methods for analyzing oral speech
Forensic registration
- General provisions of forensic registration
  - Legal basis for the functioning of the forensic registration system
  - Forensic registration system
- Operational reference, search and forensic records
  - Forensic and search records
  - Forensic and search records - page 2
- Forensic accounting
  - Regional forensic records
- Reference and auxiliary accounting
- Forensic information arrays of international organizations
General provisions of forensic tactics
- The concept, essence and categories of forensic tactics
  - Investigative situation
  - tactical operation
  - Tactical decision
  - tactical risk
- Forensic tactics and investigative practice
- Investigative tactics
Forensic leads and investigation planning
- Features of the versioning process in forensics
  - Features of the versioning process in forensics - page 2
- Crime investigation planning
  - Planning methodology
- Planning of individual investigative actions and operational-search activities
  - Planning of individual investigative actions and operational-search activities - page 2
Forensic examination and examination
- The concept and general tactical provisions of the investigative examination
  - Participants of the investigation
- Scene inspection tactics
  - Scene Inspection Tactics - Page 2
- Types of investigative examination
- Certification
Investigative experiment
- General provisions for the production of an investigative experiment
- Preparation for the production of an investigative experiment
- Tactics for the production of an investigative experiment
  - Tactics for the production of an investigative experiment - page 2

Handprints

The branch of traceology that studies handprints is traditionally called fingerprinting (from the Greek daktilos - finger, skopeo - examination). Fingerprinting is a branch of forensic technology that studies the structure of skin patterns on a person's fingers in order to use their traces in order to identify, register and search for criminals. It also includes palmoscopy and plantoscopy, which study the patterns of the palms of the hands and feet of a person. In recent years, forensic dermatoglyphics has begun to take shape, in which fingerprinting has become one of the main parts.

It is known that the relief of the skin is not the same. On the palms (feet of the legs), in addition to ridge-like protrusions called papillary lines and separated by grooves, there are flexor (flexion) lines, wrinkles and folds (white lines), as well as pores. The most noticeable relief elements are flexor lines. White lines (wrinkles) appear due to loss of elasticity and dryness of the skin, as well as age-related changes. These lines usually play an auxiliary role in identification.

The most significant are papillary lines and pores, which have a different shape and are located at different distances from one another and from the edges of the papillary lines. These lines on the palms and nail phalanges of the fingers have a rather complex and diverse structure.

The main properties of the papillary pattern are individuality, stability and recoverability.

Individuality lies in the fact that each person has a pattern pattern that is peculiar only to him. This is due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure and biological functions of the skin, as well as the genetic originality of a person. Even in identical twins, the set of details of skin patterns never repeats.

For more than a hundred years in the world practice of fingerprinting, not a single case of the coincidence of all the details of the skin pattern in different people has been identified. Details are not repeated on different fingers of one person. According to mathematical calculations, the probability of coincidence of papillary patterns on all ten fingers in two people is vanishingly small, so it can be neglected.

Stability means that papillary lines appear on the 3-4th month of intrauterine development of a person and persist until the complete putrefactive decomposition of the skin. With the growth of the organism, only the dimensional characteristics change, but not the patterns themselves.

Restorability guarantees complete renewal of the pattern in case of damage to the upper layer of the skin (epidermis). With a deep injury to the dermis (skin itself), scars or scars are formed, which even increase the number of individualizing signs.

An important characteristic of the skin is the ability to be displayed on those objects that a person has touched. The formation of fingerprints, palms, feet occurs regardless of his will and desire, since it is due to the physiological properties of the skin: its surface is always covered with sweat-fat secretions, which stick to trace-receiving surfaces.

To date, about 30 amino acids have been discovered that are present in the sweat fat substance. Their set for each person is individual, and besides, their ratios in a particular individual are distinguished by a noticeable originality. It is on this that the method of identifying a person by the amino acid composition of his sweat-fat substance is built.

Moreover, its biochemical studies allow obtaining information about the blood group, gender, certain diseases of the body, especially those associated with the immune system, medications taken, drugs, habitual food, etc. This significantly narrows the circle of suspects among whom it is necessary to search for the criminal.

The papillary patterns of the nail phalanges are formed by three papillary streams: center lines, peripheral lines and basic lines. The part of the pattern where these streams meet forms a characteristic area called the delta, since it looks like this letter of the Greek alphabet.

Papillary patterns of the nail phalanges of the fingers are divided into types and types depending on the pattern of their center. On this basis, three types of patterns are distinguished: arc, loop and curl.

Loop patterns are the most common - 65% of the total. Curl patterns are about 30%, and arc patterns are about 5%. Each type of pattern has varieties depending on the structural features of the central part. So, arc patterns can be simple, hipped, etc.

Loop patterns are distinguished by the direction of the legs of the loop and the structure of the latter. In the direction of the legs, the loop patterns are divided into radial (the legs are turned towards the thumb) and ulnar (the legs of the loop are turned towards the little finger). Depending on the structure of the loop, the patterns are simple, half-hearted, curved, closed, etc.

Curl patterns are simple: circular, oval, spiral (complex spiral, double helix), (homogeneous and heterogeneous) and complex.

In the arc pattern, there is usually no delta, since it is formed by only two streams. In the loop pattern there is one, and in the curl pattern there are two or more deltas. By this feature (the number of deltas), it is easiest to distinguish patterns.

Types and types of papillary patterns, the size of papillary lines, the degree of their curvature, the outline of flexor and white lines are common features.

Particular features of the papillary pattern used for individual identification are individual features in the structure of each specific papillary line, its small morphological differences are details. These include eyes, islets, hooks, bridges, scraps, bifurcations (forks), the beginning of lines, scars, pores, ruptures, bends, thickenings, features of deltas, dots, merging papillary lines and their fragments.

For individual identification in the compared traces, it is necessary to identify a unique set of matching particular features.

- a method of identifying a person by fingerprints (in particular, by the traces of fingers and palms of the hands), the method is based on the uniqueness and originality of the pattern of human skin.

Fingerprinting - the science of fingerprints

In science, it often happens that the long-forgotten old becomes new. Such is the fate of fingerprinting. Known in the East thousands of years ago, this science came to Europe only in the 19th century.

One of the leading experts in this field, E. Locard, considered the "father of fingerprinting" Purkinje, whose work "On the physiological study of the organs of vision and skin" dates back to 1823.

Interest in the study of finger patterns, in addition to scientific, had purely practical roots. The beginning of the nineteenth century was marked by the development of capitalism and the rapid growth of crime. Professional crime began to develop intensively, and capitalist society was looking for means of protection against it.

Passportization at that time was poorly developed, photography had not yet been invented, and colonial officials who returned to the metropolis after serving in the colonies brought with them a method of identifying a person and registering criminals by fingerprints, which was accepted in the East - fingerprinting.

In ancient China, Japan and Korea, already in the 7th century, a finger smeared with paint was applied to important documents - its imprint replaced the signature. A Chinese novel from the 12th century speaks of identifying murderers by fingerprints, but does not provide a technique for matching the fingerprints.

Fingerprinting is closely related to divination by the patterns of the skin on the hand - palmistry. In ancient times, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia and the Greeks, Romans and ancient Jews, Hindus believed in palmistry.

From them, palmistry - belief in miraculous lines in the palm of your hand - spread throughout the world, and in Christian times, palmists even found reinforcement in the biblical book of the prophet Job: "He (God) places a seal on the hand of every person to enlighten all people created by him."

Palmists distinguished three main lines on the hand - life, nature and hands - as well as the bulges of seven "hills" named after the heavenly bodies: the Sun, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the Moon.

The depth and pattern of the lines predicted fate: a long line of life - a long life, a winding line of nature - polygamy, etc. By the shape of the greatest convexity of the “hill”, they found out under the sign of which luminary a person was born.

The intersections of the lines, their relative position and approach to the "hills" made it possible to recognize fate in the aggregate. Thanks to dignitary patrons, palmistry became widespread.

Caesar and Sulla, Galen and Avicenna, many kings and emperors were engaged in it. As early as the beginning of the 18th century in Germany, every university had a department of palmistry.

However, a critical attitude to all kinds of fortune-telling did not pass by palmistry - even in ancient Greece there was a proverb "The success of fortune-telling depends on the insight of a fortune-teller", and in St. from the Encyclopedia of Curiosity and Divination.

In it, the author wrote about fortune-telling: "The Greeks and Romans had the greatest favor for all these nonsense until they were enlightened by exercises in the sciences." An important trend was noticed in this book: astrology grew into astronomy, alchemy into chemistry, palmistry gave way to the scientific study of skin patterns on the hand - fingerprinting.

Fingerprinting - individuality and originality

Modern fingerprinting is based on three important features of skin patterns - their individuality, immutability, and the possibility of comparison.

The main work is done by hand, and a colorless sweat-fat fingerprint remains on almost every smooth object that the criminal has touched.

Sometimes criminals use gloves, believing that their actions will leave no traces. In France, they say that a crime only begins with gloves, and ends with mittens (meaning the mittens of a convict).

In forensics classes, they often give an example of how a criminal, in order not to leave fingerprints, committed a theft in gloves, cut himself and, leaving the apartment, threw the gloves into the trash.

The search dog found the gloves, and on them the criminal. But he denied guilt. Then gloves were put on his hands, and it turned out that the cut on the glove exactly coincided with the cut on the finger of the accused. He had to confess and show the place where the stolen things were hidden: with a proper investigation, every crime is revealed.

The main property of the skin pattern on the fingers is its individuality and originality. The French criminologist Balthazar made an interesting calculation. He proposed to place an enlarged fingerprint in a hundred-cell grid (10x10), and then in each cell there would be some part of the pattern: a fork facing up, a fork facing down, the beginning of a line, a line break at the top, or a line break at the bottom.

If we take only these four features of the pattern, then what is the probability of their coincidence? The scientist calculated that it would be equal to 4,100. The number of people living on earth during a century is approximately 5,000,000,000. Therefore, Balthazar wrote, to find two identical prints, it would take the number of centuries, consisting of 49 digits.

It is not yet known the exact match of the fingerprints of two different people. Note that the minimum number of pattern features was used for the calculation. If we take a larger number of them and also take into account the location of the pores on these lines (the topic of a special section of fingerprinting is poroscopy), then the probability of the coincidence of the fingerprint pattern of two people “is equal to one chance against such a number that exceeds the number of centimeters separating the Earth from the most distant of stars."

Calculations according to the Balthazar system show that the probability of finding two matching features appears when considering 16 fingerprints. However, to get three matches, 64 prints are needed, for four matches, 266 prints, etc.

The figures obtained from these calculations are unnecessarily large. In practice, a study of fingerprints of a small group of people is carried out. Therefore, in different countries, for identification of a person by fingerprint, a coincidence from 8-9 to 12-14 features of the pattern is considered sufficient.

Now the individuality of the skin pattern on each finger is strictly proven, but relatively recently this fact was in doubt. The well-known French criminologist Bertillon, whose authority was indisputable in his country, did not believe in fingerprinting and zealously defended the description and anthropometry invented by himself.

But it was fingerprinting that played a cruel joke on him. On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (Gioconda) was stolen from the Louvre. The Minister of the Interior, the Attorney General, the President of the Police and Bertillon arrived at the scene of the crime.

It was established that the perpetrator removed the painting from the wall in Carré's salon, carried it out onto a side staircase, took it out of the frame and carried it away. The frame remained in place, and Bertillon found a fingerprint on the glass. Further than this, the investigation did not advance, and nothing was known about the picture for more than two years. On December 2, 1913, a certain Leonard (his real name was Vincenzo Perrugia) offered the Florentine antiquary Alfredo Henry to buy Mona Lisa and came with the painting himself.

Perrugia was arrested, he told how he stole the painting. A comparison of his fingerprints with the print found by Bertillon confirmed that it was he who stole the painting. And then it turned out that Perrugia had previously been repeatedly detained by the Paris police, Bertillon's file cabinet had his fingerprints. As the newspapers of Paris wrote at that time, "the search for the criminal took two years, while it could be found in two hours." This episode undermined faith in the genius of Bertillon.

property of skin patterns

The second remarkable property of skin patterns on the fingers is their immutability. The pattern appears in an unborn baby and remains unchanged for life. For example, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Halle G. Welker made his fingerprints in 1856. After 41 years, he repeated the experiment again, and ... as a result, the prints were indistinguishable.

The stability of the skin pattern was tested many times: criminalists scalded their fingers with boiling water, burned the skin on fire, poisoned it with strong acids. But the young skin again invariably repeated the old pattern.

Now, everywhere, every detainee on suspicion of committing a serious crime is taking prints of a skin pattern and in a special laboratory they are compared with fingerprints in a file cabinet kept by the authorities fighting crime. If a person was previously convicted, then in the file cabinet, in addition to the card with his prints, there is an indication of when and for what he was prosecuted.

Well, what if unknown fingerprints are found at the scene? Such prints can be fuzzy, incomplete, and, most importantly, they are not always detectable. And, nevertheless, the imprint substance has sufficient stability. It has a very complex composition containing eleven components.

Their basis is fatty acids (formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric and others). Such a colorless trace is very persistent (there is a known case of fingerprints on glass fragments that have been in a fire), it can be detected using coloring chemicals and various powders.

However, the powder method is mainly used to detect fresh prints. In the event that the fingerprint dries up, chemical reagents are used for the “old” prints - fumigation with iodine vapor or exposure to other chemical reagents. Even a few months after its appearance, an invisible imprint can be detected.

Here is the first published case of a criminal being convicted by a fingerprint. At the end of the last century in Tokyo, in the Zukiya hospital, the Scottish doctor Henry Foulds worked. Near Fulds' house, a thief climbed over a whitewashed fence. He left his fingerprints smeared with soot on the fence. While Fulds was studying the thief's fingerprints (Fulds had been interested in them for a long time), it became known that the criminal was detained.

The doctor compared the prints on the fence with the pattern of the detainee's skin and came to the conclusion that this was not the same person. A few days later, another suspect was arrested. Fulds compared the fingerprints again - they matched exactly. In October 1880, the English journal Nature published an article by Foulds on this and other uses of fingerprints in the police service.

Fingerprint registration systems in fingerprinting

All countries now have special file cabinets that store the fingerprints of registered criminals and unidentified fingerprints found at the crime scene. To facilitate the search for the desired prints, special digital registration systems have been created.

Currently, more than thirty registration systems are successfully used. But of greatest interest is the Galton-Henry system, which is used in our country in an improved form.

According to this system, the formula of skin patterns on the fingers consists of the main and additional parts. All ten fingers are assigned certain numbers, and depending on the pattern, a certain number is entered in the main part of the formula (only curlic patterns are taken into account in the main part).

All ten fingers are paired; the digits of even fingers are entered into the numerator of the formula, and the digits of odd fingers into the denominator. In the card file, the formulas are arranged according to the increasing values of the numerator of the formula, and within the group of cards with the same numerators, according to the increasing values of the denominator.

The trouble is that the formula takes into account only group characteristics, and the individuality of prints is manifested in a combination of smaller features. Therefore, there are many cards with the same formulas in the card files. The final conclusion about the individuality of fingerprints is made by experts who no longer compare formulas, but directly fingerprints.

How to reduce search time? Soviet criminologists and engineers created one of the first automated search systems. For identification, not the entire skin pattern on the nail phalanx of the finger was used, but only the locations of characteristic features - signs (it has been proven that their location in each print is individual).

Dots were placed at the location of the signs of each fingerprint, and then the prints were photographed on film. Now, when it was necessary to establish who owns the print, it was encoded using the same system and placed on the screen panel. Photocells were inserted into the locations of the signs, and a tape with captured and marked prints was projected onto such a screen through a movie camera.

The film camera automatically stopped when the location of the dots on the print and the photocells on the screen coincided. Without going into technical details, it must be said that such an apparatus made it possible to compare 30,000 prints in five minutes, and this is far from the limit of the apparatus's speed. Work is slowed down by manual coding and the difference in print sizes.

Application of fingerprinting

Fingerprints are not only forensic scientists. For example, in 1970, a certain Swedish archaeologist announced in the press his intention to study the settlement of ancient tribes in Greece by the fingerprints of potters on the handles of ancient dishes. He believed that members of the same tribe should have similar types of patterns, and, using the method of determining the age of pottery, he was going to determine which tribes inhabited ancient Greece and at what time.

Without prejudice to the results of the study, we can say that there is a certain reason for it - in 9 cases out of 10, the patterns on the fingers of the same name on the right and left hands belong to the same type and are very similar. This indicates the biological nature of the skin pattern and suggests the similarity of the fingerprints of relatives.

Thus, the Swedish researcher Christina Benevi proposed to compare not the patterns directly, but their numerical expressions using a standard formula and received results confirming the similarity of the fingerprints of relatives. Even a judicial precedent is known - the court of the city of Vienna in 1927 sentenced one citizen to pay alimony in a paternity suit based on a study of the similarity of the skin patterns of the fingers of the child and the alleged father.

However, this method has not received further development. Modern studies refrain from categorical conclusions about the heredity of fingerprints and note only their high similarity in identical twins and in families where dementia is inherited.

There are methods of approximate sex and age determination by fingerprints. Age is determined by the number of papillary lines per unit of measurement (5 millimeters). So, in young children, this unit has 15-18 lines, and in twenty-year-olds - 10 lines. There is also a flattening of the lines, wrinkles and folds of the skin in the elderly.

Determination of gender by fingerprints does not have an established methodology. At the same time, E. Lokar wrote that "fingerprints of women are sometimes very similar to the prints of young men with gentle hands, but every experienced laboratory assistant will distinguish them, although he uses more intuition than scientific methods."

As you can see, different areas of knowledge are interested in fingerprints, but for forensics they are the most important, because they provide a reliable method of identifying a person.

PhD in Law V. Gerasimov

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