INTRODUCTION

Fingerprints have been used as a means of identification for over 100 years and are
unique to every individual. Hence, fingerprint evidence plays a crucial role in criminal
investigations.
Fingerprints are made up of intricate system of ridges which creates an uneven
surface on the palms of the hand and sols of the feet. It’s arrangement of the ridges and
their certain unique properties which a fingerprint expert will use to make the
identification.
The law enforcement agencies are indeed a vital part of the society who are tasked
in the enforcement of laws. Criminal Investigation is one of the cores of their functions as
law enforcers in order for them to solve a crime and to let “justice” prevail in our society.
Forensic sciences is indispensable in the investigation process which of great help to the
investigators to cover other angles of the crime.
DNA Fingerprinting is also very significant in establishing the identity of a person
through their base pair.

MODULE I

Lesson 1 Personal Identification

Lesson 2 Nature of Fingerprints

Lesson 3 Historical Background of Fingerprints

Lesson 4 Reasons why Fingerprints is one of the Most

Infallible Means of Personal Identification.
 MODULE I

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION

This module presents basic principles of fingerprint identification including its

historical development.

After studying the module, you should be able to:

1. Trace the historical development of fingerprint identification;

2. Explain the different ordinary and scientific methods of personal identification;
3. Discuss the basic principles involved in the study of fingerprint;

There four lessons in the module. Read each lesson carefully then answer the
exercises/activities to find out how much you have benefited from it. Work on these
exercises carefully and submit your output to your instructor or to the ICJE office

In case you encounter difficulty, discuss this with your instructor during the
face-to-face meeting. If not contact your instructor at the ICJE office.

Good luck and happy reading!!!

Lesson 1

What is Personal Identification?

Personal refers to anything relating
to or belonging to an Individual. On the
other hand, Identification refers to the
action or process of identifying someone or
something or the fact of being identified. Or
Identification means something that
identifies a person or thing
(freedictionary.com).
Hence, PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION
can be defined as the process, or techniques, or approaches, or means of establishing the
entity of a particular person. In medico-legal, the following are the aspects of personal
identification:

1. Determination of the individuality of a person

2. Act or process of showing to be the same
3. Determination of establishment as a particular person or thing
4. Ascertaining the nature or supposed identity of a person or something

Importance of Identification of Persons

1. In the prosecution of criminal offense, the identity of the offender and that of the
victim must be established; otherwise it will be a ground for the dismissal of the charge or
the acquittal of the accused.

2. The Identification of a person missing or presumed dead will facilitate settlement of the
estate, retirement, Insurance and other social benefits. It vests on the heirs the right over
properties of the Identified person.

3. Identification resolves the anxiety of the next of kin, other relatives and friends as to
the whereabouts of a missing person or victim of calamity or criminal act.

4. Identification may be needed in some transactions, like cashing of check, entering a

premise, delivery of parcels or registered mail in post office, sale of property, release of
dead bodies to relatives, parties to a contact.
 Rules to Personal Identification:

1. Law of Multiplicity of Evidence. The greater the number of points of similarities and
dissimilarities of two persons compared, the greater the probability for the conclusion to
be correct.
2. The value of different points of Identification varies in the formulation of conclusion. In
a fresh cadaver, of the fingerprints on file are the same as those recovered from the crime
Scene, the will positively establish the identity of the person while bodily marks, like
moles, scars, complexion, shape of nose, etc. are merely corroborative. Visual recognition
by relative or friends may be of lesser value as compared with fingertips or dental
comparison

3. The longer the Interval between the death and the examination of the remains for
purposes of identification, the greater is the need for experts in establishing identity.

4. In as much as the object to be identified is highly perishable, it is necessary for the

team to act in the shortest possible time especially in cases of mass disaster.

5. There is no rigid rule to be observed in the procedure of Identification of persons

Methods of Identification

1. By comparison - the identifying details or characteristics found at the crime scene

compared to known records of the victim or suspect
2. By exclusion - elimination

Identification of Dead Bodies

In identifying dead bodies, various methods can be used. The ordinary methods include the
utilization of the following:

1. personal effects
2. physical description
3. portrait parle (spoken picture) - verbal description which is sometimes called
photographic files, mug files or rogue’s galleries.
 Ex. Mug shot
Extrinsic factors in identification:
1. ornamentation
2. personal belongings
3. wearing apparel
4. foreign bodies
5. Identification by dose friends, police records, photographs

Ordinary Method of Identification

Points of Identification Application Both to Living and Dead Before the Onset of
Decomposition:

1. Occupational Marks - painters have stains

2. Race - Malay: brown, flat nose round face, round head, wearing apparel

3. Structure - Tips of middle fingers of both hands

extended laterally
4. Tattoo Marks

5. Weight - It is not a good

point because it may change from
time to time.
6. Deformities - particularly
those leaving permanent scars or
deformities

7. Birth Marks
 8. Injuries Leaving Permanent Records

9. Moles
10. Scar

11. Tribal Marks

12. Sexual Organ

Scientific or Medico-legal Methods

1. Fingerprinting or Dactyloscopy
2. Odontology - Dental Identification by studying the dental structures
 In the Philippines, P.D. 1575 requires practitioners of dentistry to keep record of
their patients for Identification purposes if no other means of Identification is available.

3. Determination of sex
4. Determination of age
5. Blood and blood stains - determination of blood types

6. Hair and fibers

7. Identification of skeleton - FORENSIC OSTEOLOGY or the Anthrophometry by Alphonse

Bertillon - measuring the skeletal remains.
The bases of this method are -
a. Human skeleton is unchangeable after 20 years.
b. No two human beings have exactly the same bones.
C. Use of simple instrument

Necessary Information in Bertillon System:

a. Descriptive data - color of hair, eyes, shape of
nose.
b. Body marks
c. Anthropometric measurement - height
d. Measurement of the head, limbs

8. DNA-DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID

Lesson 2

A. Basic Concept

1. Fingerprint is a composite of ridge outlines which appears on the skin surface of the
bulbs on the Inside of the end of the fingers and thumbs. It also refers to an on a surface
of the curves formed by the ridges on a fingertip, especially such an Impression made in
ink and used as a means of identification. Figuratively, fingerprint is a distinctive or
identifying mark or characteristic Fingerprint is synonymous to fingermark and
dactylogram.
2. Ridge - may refer to a long, narrow chain of hills or mountains. Or, it refers to the long
and narrow upper edge, angle, or crest of
something, as a hill (Webster's College
Dictionary O freedictionary.com). The ridges
appearing in a fingerprint are commonly
referred to as papillary or frictional ridges.
The ridges have a definite contour and appear
in definite individual details by which positive
can be made. Ridge characteristics are
formed prior to birth and remain constant
throughout life except for the palms of the hands, growth and deep scarification.

3. Ducts - these are little pockets underneath the skin

where oils or sweats are carried by small holes to the
surface of the skin.

4. Creases - little white lines that are found on a fingerprint that look like sears These are
not permanent, and will not show any or "puckering."

5. Skin conditions such as warts and blisters of

temporary impairments caused by certain
bricklayers, carpenters, have no permanent
effect and the Individual characteristics revert
to their natural alignment once the temporary
skin condition has been corrected.

Basic Principles of Fingerprint Science (3 dogmatic Principles)

1. Principle of Individuality (Variation) - There are no two fingerprints that are exactly
alike unless taken from the same finger.
2. Principle of Permanency (Constancy, Perennial, or Immutable) - The configuration and
details of Individual ridges remain constant and unchanging till after the final
decomposition of the

3. Principle of - That fingerprint is a reliable means of personal Identification and all

courts accept and adopt fingerprint as a means of personal Identification, or simply, will
not

Two Main Layers of the Skin

1. Outer scarf or Epidermis

2. Inner Scarf or Dermis

Note: In the Dermis, there is

Stratum Malpighi or the tiger of the
Malpighi -Stated differently, the
ridges are formed into patterns by
virtue of the fact that the epidermis
is penetrated and molded by the
dermal papillae.
* Damage to the epidermis alone
does not result to permanent ridge
destruction, whereas damage to the
dermis will result to permanent
ridge destruction

Some Uses of Fingerprints:

1. Identification of criminals whose fingerprints are found at the scene of the crime;
2. Identification of fugitive through a comparison of fingerprints,
3. Assistance to prosecutors in presenting their cases in the light of defendants' previous
records;
4. Imposition of more equitable sentence by the courts;
5. Furnishing Identification data to enlightenment in decision making;
6. Exchanging of criminal-identifying information with identification bureaus of foreign
countries in cases of mutual Interest;
7. Means of personal Identification;
8. Recognition by the government of honored dead;
9. Identification of unknown deceased;
10. Prevention of hospital mistakes in the identification of infants;

Lesson 3

A. Ancient Records Concerning the Use of Finger and Palm Prints:

The beginning of man's consciousness on the patterns made by the ridges on his fingers
and palmscould not be exactly dated. However, historical accounts as well as
archaeological discoveries indicatethat such knowledge on fingerprints may date back to
pre-historical eras. The following may show the development of man's understanding on
the identification values of fingerprints.

1. King Hammurabi (1955-1913 BC) used finger seals on contracts and law officers of the
day wereauthorized to secure fingerprints of arrested persons (Sirchle, 2011).
2. On the face of a cliff in NOVA SCOTIA, there has been found prehistoric Indian picture
writing of a hand with crudely marked ridge patterns.
3. Scholars refer to the impression of fingerprints on day tablets recoding business
transactions in ancient Babylon and clay seals of ancient Chinese origin bearing
thumbprints. Some of these seals can be seen in the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
WASHINGTON, D.C. Chinese documents identified with the Tang Dynasty (618-907 BC)
refer to fingerprint being impressed upon business contracts. It is conjectural as to
what extent these earlier instances of fingerprinting were Intended for actual
identification of the persons impressing the prints. History shows that Emperor TeIn
Shi was the first on to use fingerprint in China.
4. In Judea as stated in the Bible (2Thessalonians 3:17), Apostle Paul concludes in one of
his epistles with the words, "The Salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is the
token in every epistle, so I write. Some have inferred from these words that Paul
used his finger Impressions as a distinctive signature.
5. In Persia, during the fourteenth century, various government papers were reportedly
impressed with fingerprints, and a government official who was also a physician made
the observation that no fingerprints of two persons were exactly alike. In Holland and
China, identification of individuals was by means of branding, tattooing, mutilation,
and also manifested by wearing clothes of different designs.
6. In Old Mexico, the Aztecs impressed their hands accidentally or intentionally on the
molded and still soft clays of their hand-made idols to serve as their trade marks. The
authorities stamped their hands on the death warrants for the men and women who
offered their lives to sacrifice for their Idol-gods.
7. In France, numerous rock carvings and paintings featuring hand designs and
fingerprints have been found on the granite wall slabs in the Neolithic burial passage
of the L'Ile de Gavrinis. Other specimens were also found in the Spanish Pyrunees
caverns, the numerous digital relics left by Indiana at Keuimkooji Lake in diff
dwellings in Nova Scotla, In the Balearic Islands, Australis, New England coasts and in
Africa.
8. In Babylonia, the first use of fingerprints for personal Identification originated when
Babylonian Magistrates ordered their officers in making arrests and property
confiscation to secure the defendants' fingerprints.
9. KomOmbo Plain, on the east bank of river Nile, Egypt, lump of hundred mushes (mud?)
found in Sebekan deposit which shows a portion of an adult palm during 12,000 B.C.
10. In China, fingerprint is called "Hua Chi“. The value of fingerprints for purposes of
identification was found on a Chinese day seal made not later than the 3" century B.C.
11. In Jerusalem, fingerprint relics were found in clay lumps during the 4 and 5th
centuries AD. The excavation of Palestine by the late Dr. Bade yielded fragments of
such specimens (fingerprints).
12. In AD 650, Chinese historian Kia Kung-Yen wrote of fingerprints used in an older
method of preparing contracts. Contemporaneously, the law book of Yung-Hwui
mentioned that husbands in a divorce decree have to sign the decree with their
respective fingerprints (Sirchle, 2011).
13. In AD 1100, Chinese novellst Shi-Naingan wrote in "The story of the River Bank,". He
compelled them to ink their fingers to record their fingerprints (Sirchle, 2011)."
14. During the Tang Dynasty, fingerprints were used in connection with the preparation of
legal documents. Kia Yung-yen, an author during this time stated that, "Wooden
tablets were engraved with the full terms of the contract, and notches were cut in
the sides where they were identical so that the tablets could later be matched or
tallied, thus proving them genuine." This was the bill of Loan quite similar to the
present Bank Draft.
15. In Japan, deeds, notes, and certificates to be used as proofs were sealed by the mark
of the hand (Palm-print) called "Tegata." In the treatment of criminals, the Imprint of
the thumb (bo-In or bo an) was taken. The criminal signed only by thumb-print with
regard to his sentence and it was considered as an inferior sort of signature. The
thumb-print which took the place of signature was not intended to establish the
criminal's identity.
16. In Constantinople, in a treaty of ratification, the sultan soaked his hand in a sheep's
blood and impressed it on the document as his seal.
17. In England, Thomas Bewick, an English engraver, author, and naturalist engraved the
patterns of his own fingers on every wood-work he had finished to serve as his mark so
as to establish its genuineness.

B. Early Publication Concerning Fingerprints

1. 1684-Nehemiah Grew published report which was read before the royal society of
London, England. He described the ridges and pores of the hands and feet.
2. 1685-G. Bidloo published a treaty describing sweat pores and ridges.
3. 1685-Midle wrote a book, "Human Anatomy, in which he included a drawing of the
thumb print showing the ridge configuration of the whorl pattern.
4. 1686-Professor Marcelo Malpighi, an Italian anatomist (Grandfather of Dactyloscopy
according to Dr. Edmond Locard - "Father of Poroscopy), commented in his writings on
elevated ridges on the fingertips and alluded to diverse figures on palmar surfaces.
5. 1751-Hintzo wrote on the ridge formation, but dealt with the subject from the
viewpoint of anatomy rather than identification.
6. 1764-Albinus followed along the same lines as Hintzo had written.
7. 1788-J.CA. Mayer stated in his book (AnatomischeKupfertafelnNebstDazuGehangen) that
although the arrangement of the skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons,
nevertheless, the Similarities are doser among some individuals. He found that the
fingerprints of two persons are never alike (Principle of Individuality).
8. 1823-Johannes Evangelist Purkinje, (FATHER OF DACTYLOCOSPY) a Czechoslovakian
professor of anatomy at the University of Breslau, published a thesis in Latin (Commentio
de Examine PhysiogicoOrganiVisus Et SystematisCutansi), a Commentary of the
Physiological Examination System: Dec 22, 1823, Breslau, Germany) describing the ridges,
giving them names and established certain rules for classification (nine groups). He
involves vague differentiation of fingerprints or use them for identification.
9. 1856-Herman Welcker took the prints of his own palm. In 1897, (forty-one years later)
he printed the same palm to prove that the prints do not change (Principle of
Permanency). 10. 1883-Kollman, an anthropologist who wrote his book on ridges and
pores. He did not associate fingerprints with identification.

C. Fingerprints as Method of Identification

1. 1858-Sir William J. Herschel (Father of Chiroscopy), in Hoogly, district of Bengal,

India, began the first known official use of fingerprints in large scale. He used fingerprints
in India to prevent fraudulent collection of army pay account and for identification of
other documents. He printed the palms of natives in order to avoid impersonation among
laborers. Prints of the entire palms were used instead of signatures. The first person
Herschel printed appears to have been one RajyadharKonal. He did not however develop a
method of classification suitable for general use. In 1877, Herschel requested permission
to take the fingerprint of prisoners in jail, but the request was denied.

2. 1880-Dr. Henry Faulds, an English (Scottish) doctor stationed in Tokyo, Japan, wrote a
letter to the English publication, "NATURE" - "On the Skin Furrows of the Hand", (dtd Oct.
28, 1880) on the practical use of fingerprints for the identification of criminals. He
recommended the use of a thin film of printers Ink as a transfer medium and is generally
used today. He conducted experiments which established that the varieties of Individual
fingerprint patterns were very great and that the patterns remain unchangeable
throughout lifetime (Permanency).

3. 1880-Sir Francis Galton, a noted British anthropologist and a cousin of scientist Charles
Darwin began observation which led to the publication in 1882 of his book "Fingerprints."
Galton's studies established the individuality of classifying fingerprint patterns.

4. 1882-Gilbert Thompson, a U.S. geological surveyor in charge of a field project in New

Mexico used his own fingerprints in commissary orders to prevent forgery.

5. Isaiah West Taber - A photographer in San Francisco who was already engaged in the
study and promotion of the fingerprint system long before Galton's participation. He
advocated the use of the system for the registration of the immigrant Chinese.

6. 1883-An episode in Mark Twain's life on the Mississippi relates to the identification of a
murderer by his thumbprint.

7. Twain (Samuel L Clemens) further developed his theme. Eleven (11) years later, he
causes the publication of "Pudellin Head Wilson", a novel based on dramatic fingerprint
Identification demonstrated during a court trial. His story pointed out the infallibility of
fingerprint identification.

8. 1888-Sir Edward Richard Henry, succeeded Sir William J. Herschel at his post in India.
He became interested in fingerprints and devised a classification of his own and published
his work in book form and titled it "Classification and Uses of Fingerprints." 9. 1889-Sir
Richard Henry at Dove, England read a paper detailing his system before the British
association for Advancement of Science.

10. 1891-Juan Vucetich, an Argentinean police official, installed fingerprints files as an

official means of criminal identification. He based his system of the pattern typed by Sir
Francs Galton. He also claimed the first official criminal identification by means of
fingerprints left at the scene of crime.

11. In 1892, at La Plata, Argentina, a woman named Rojas who had murdered her two sons
and had cut her own throat, though not fatal, blamed the attack on a neighbor. Police
Inspector Alvarez of La Plata, Argentina, solved the "Rojas Murder Case" with a bloody
fingerprint found on a door - the first such case in recorded history. In 1896,
anthropometry was abandoned in Argentina in favor of fingerprint identification.

12. 1892-Sir Francis Galton, an English Biologist, wrote his first textbook. He devised a
practical system of classification and filing.
13. 1894-Sir Francis Galton's report on fingerprint as a method of identification, along
with his system, was read at Asquith Committee of London, England. His system was
officially adopted on February 12, 1894.

14. 1900-Alphonse Bertillon's system of body measurement had by this time spread
throughout the world.

15. 1901-Sir Edward Richard Henry was appointed assistant commissioner at Scotland
Yard. His system was also acclaimed and officially adopted in Wales as well as throughout
England. The system was so applicable that Henry emerged as the "Father of Fingerprints,"
at least as the first man to successfully apply fingerprints for identification.

16. 1901-marked the official introduction of fingerprinting for criminal Identification in

England and Wales. The system employed was developed from Galton's observation and
devised by Edward Richard Henry, the Inspector-General of Police in Bengal, India. He
later became commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police. The basic Henry system with
the modifications and extensions is used by the FBI and law enforcement agencies
throughout the U.S. today.

17. 1914-Fingerprints were officially adopted in France, replacing Bertillon age.

D. Official Use of Fingerprint and Fingerprint Identification in the United States of

America

The use of fingerprint identification in the United States was slow to develop. Most
Identification bureaus were locked into the Bertillon system until the now-famous Wil West
case at Leavenworth prison. When Will West arrived to serve his sentence in 1903,
identification personnel insisted that he had been an inmate before. After being subjected
to the Bertillon measurements, officials found the file of one William West, whose
measurements were virtually identical to the person calling himself Will West. Even their
photographs showed a remarkable resemblance. But William West was still in prison
serving a murder sentence. Their respective fingerprints were taken, compared, and they
bore no resemblance. This unique case established the value of fingerprint identification
this country. It is Interesting to note that later research indicates that Will and William
West were most likely mono zygote (identical) twins who were separated at a young age.
(Sirchie, 2011)

1. 1882-Gilbert Thompson of the Us Geodetic survey used thumb print for camp orders on
an expedition to New Mexico. This was not offical but it was proven useful (the record was
dated Aug. 8, 1882).

2. 1902-Sir Henry P. Forest, chlef Medical examiner of New York Civil Service Commission
and an American preacher in fingerprint science in the US for the New York Civil Service
commission to prevent applicants from having better qualified persons to take the test for
them. 3. The New York Civil Service Commission, on Dec. 19, 1902 required all civil service
applicants to be fingerprinted. Dr. Henry P. Forest, put the system into practice.
4. 1903 - Fingerprints identification was adopted in the following penitentiarles: Sing Sing,
Napanoch, Auburn, and Clinton

5. 1903-New York State Prison in Albany dalms the first practical, systematic use of
fingerprints in the US to identify criminals. Captain James Parke of the institution installed
the identification system where the fingerprints of prisoners were taken and classified and
the fingerprint system was officially adopted in June of the year. Today, New York State
uses the American system that is similar to the Henry System and represents the system
initiated by Capt. Parke in 1903.

6. 1904-John Kenneth Ferrer (Perrier) of the Fingerprint Branch of the New Scotland Yard,
attended the St. Louis Missouri World Fair.

7. 1904-The City of St. Louis Missouri - first city to adopt fingerprint. The police
department officials adopted the system on October 29, 1904.

8. 1904-Maj. R Modloughry, the warden of the Federal Penitentiary of Leavenworth when

the office of the Atty. General of the U.S. granted permission to establish a fingerprint
bureau therein. It was the first national government use of fingerprints.

9. 1905-Fingerpritning was officially adopted by the U.S. Army - first military use of
fingerprint.

10. 1907-Fingerprinting was officially adopted by the U.S. Navy (January 11, 1907). In the
same year,

Mary Holland was hired by the US Navy as a fingerprint instructor. She is considered to be
the second American fingerprint Instructor in the United States (second to Parke) but the
first woman fingerprint Instructor. Her teachings promoted the Henry System throughout
the United States (nwlean.net)

11. 1908-Fingerprinting was officially adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps.

12. 1910-Frederick A. Brayley published what appears to be the first American book in
fingerprints. The book was published in Boston by the Worcester Press.

13. 1911- The State of Illinois, made the first criminal conviction based solely upon
fingerprint evidence. It was known as the first judicial ruling on such evidence, (People vs
Jennings, 252 Illinois 543-96 NE 1007, 43 LRA (NS) 1206 for 1991).

14. 1915-The International Association for Criminal Identification was founded. The word
"criminal" was later dropped from the Association's name. It is the first organized body of
professional identification experts.
15. 1916-The Institution of Applied Science established at Chicago, Illinois was the first
school to teach fingerprint identification (June 16, 1916).

16. 1916-Frederick Kuhne published a book entitled "The Fingerprint Instructor," which
probably the first authoritative book in fingerprint to be circulated In the U.S. Munn and
Co., served as the publisher

17. 1919-Marked the publication of "Fingerprint and Identification Magazine" (Chicago).

The first monthly journal devoted exclusively to fingerprint science, (July 1919).

18. 1920-The Exceptional Arch, a new pattern, was adopted to Henry's system by
American experts. The pattern was added after the study made by the assembly members
at annual convention of the International Association for Identification in 1920.

19.1922-Haken Jersengen, the sub-director of police in Copenhagen, Denmark introduced

first a long distance identification to U.S. at a police conference here. 20. 1924-The book
entitled "Single Fingerprint System" by T.K. Larson, was first published in U.S., (Berkley,
Police Monograph Series) D. Application and Co., New York City.

21. 1924-The Identification Division of the FBI was established after J. Edgar Hoover was
appointed Director.

22. 1924-The First National Bureau of Identification was created by the act of Congress.
The bureau was established within the U.S. DOJ (Washington DC).

23. 1925-Harry J. Myers I installed the first official fact fingerprint system for Infants in
Jewish Maternity Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

24.1925-The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania used compulsory foot and fingerprinting of

newborn Infants and mothers which was enacted into law by Act of General Assembly as
approved on April 20, 1925.

25. 1932-The International Exchange of Fingerprint date was initiated with a number of
other nations on February 15, 1932.

26. 1933-The Bureau of Identification, U.S. Department of Justice, adopted the single
fingerprint Identification system. The first national use of single print for identification
purposes for certain crimes only, (Feb. 1933).

27. 1933-Latent fingerprints section, for making technical examination of latent prints or
have inked prints on an Individual basis was Instituted on November 10, 1933. The Civil
Identification on Section was established.

28. 1937-The Institute of Applied Science Installed Photographic and Firearms

Identification (Forensic Ballistics) laboratories. The Institute was the first private school in
U.S. which installed laboratories for Instructional purposes only.
29. 1938-A book by Harry J. Myers II, "History of Identification of fingerprints In U.S." was
published in Fingerprint and Identification Magazine (Chicago, Illinois, Vol. 20, no. 4, Oct
1938).

30. 1946-the 100 millionth fingerprint card was received in the identification division of
the FBI.
The total grew to 152 million In May 11, 1959.

31. 1967-"Minutiae" was Initiated by the FBI, a computerized scanning equipment to read
and record fingerprint identifying characteristics.

32. 1972-the prototype automated fingerprint reader was delivered.

33. 1973-implementation of the first phase of the automated Identification System

(AIS-1), which was to establish the database consisting of the name, description, and
criminal record of all first offenders with birthdates of 1956.

34.1978-Journal of Forensic Science - reported that certain properties of perspiration and

body oils contained in latent print residue will luminesce without pre-treatment and to a
degree that photographs could be taken when activated by continuous Argon-ION Laser.

35. 1979-AIS-2 replaced AIS-1. This phase involved the automated searching by name and
other descriptor information of Incoming fingerprint cards against the database.

36. 1979 (Oct. 17, 1979)-A latent fingerprint was developed and lifted from the hand of a
victim in Miami, Florida murder resulting in Identifying the suspect. This was the first
known case where a fingerprint from a human skin was used in the identification,
prosecution and conviction of a perpetrator of a crime.

37. 1982-Missing Children Act was signed into law which requires the Attorney General to
acquire, collect, classify, and preserve any information which would assist in the location
of any missing person (including an un-emancipated person as defined by the laws of the
place of residence of such person) or assist in the Identification of any deceased individual
who have not been identified.

38. 1983-Completion of the conversion of the FBI criminal fingerpint searching from
manual to automated searching. Also, AIS records became available by mail upon request
of the National Crime Information Center's (NCIC's) Interstate identification index (III) - an
Interstate record exchange.

39. 1984-AIS records became available "ON-LINE" through the NCIC program. Records
from the NCIC and AIS, and participating state and local telecommunication networks
became available w/in seconds to authorized criminal justice agencies. 40. 1985 (Jan. 2) -
a contract was awarded for building the final phase of the Identification Division
Automated System (IDAS).
41. 1989-IDAS was implemented. Its features are: integrated document transport
equipment on line automated technical fingerprint search; and simplified processing flow.

E. Fingerprints in the Philippines

1. 1900-Mr. Jones - first to teach fingerprints in the Philippines in the Phil. Constabulary.

2. 1918-The Bureau of Prisons show that carpetas (commitment and conviction records)
already bear fingerprints. Records
3. Under the management of Lt. Asa N. Darby during the American occupation in the
Philippines, a modern and complete fingerprint file has been established for the Philippine
commonwealth.

4. 1937-The first Filipino fingerprint technician employed by the Phil. Constabulary was
Mr. GenerosoReyes .Capt. Thomas Dugan of New York City Police Department and Mr.
Flaviano C. Guerrero of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) gave the first
examinations in fingerprints.

5. 1933-The first conviction based on fingerprints was handed by the Supreme Court of
the Phil. In the case People vs. Medina and this case is considered the leading judicial
decision in the Philippine jurisprudence concerning fingerprinting (December 23). It
accepted ten (10) points or identical ridge characteristics.
6. The science of fingerprinting was first offered as a subject in the Philippines through
the effort of the Plaridel Educational Institution.

Lesson 4

1. Fingerprints are already formed about 3 to 4 months of intra-uterine life and will
remain unchanged throughout life until the final decomposition of the body.

2. The pattern formation formed by the papillary ridges contains peculiar characteristics
upon which a person can always be identified by fingerprint examiners.

3. Almost every police and law enforcement agencies throughout the world accept, adopt
and utilize the fingerprint system as a means of absolute identification of a person.

4. The court and other authorities had taken cognizance of its importance and reliability
as a means of Identification.
5. That fingerprint will speak for itself as it shows the owner thereof in accordance with
the principle of res ipsaloquitor (a thing will speak for itself).

Can Fingerprint be effaced?

1. John Dellinger, a notorious gangster

and a police character, attempted to
erase his fingerprints by burning them
with add but as time went by the
ridges were again restored to their
"natural" feature. The acid he applied
temporarily destroyed the epidermis
of the bulbs of his fingers.
As long as the dermis of the bulbs of the fingers are not completely destroyed, the
fingerprints I’ll always remain unchanged and indestructible.

2. Locard and Witkowsji of Lyons, performed rather painful experiments on

themselves by burning their fingertips with boiling water, hot oil and hot metal
had shown that after the healing of the epidermis (outer skin), the original
patterns of fingerprints reappeared.

The Number of Ridge Characteristics as Basis for Absolute Identity

Experts of different countries differ in the requirements of the minimum number of

correspondingly similar ridge characteristics. In England, the minimum is 16 and in USA,
the minimum requirement is 12. However, fingerprint experts in these countries believe
that identity can be established in lower number of guidelines bald down by the famous
French Criminalist Dr. Edmond Locard:

a. Clearness of the pattern.

b. Rarity of the type
c. Presence of core or delta in the decipherable part
d. Presence of pores
e. The perfect and dear identity of the width of ridges and furrows, of the direction of the
lines, and the angular value of the furrows.

In module I, you have learned about the different basic concepts and
principles of Fingerprint Identification

There are four lessons in module I. Lesson 1 discussed about Personal

Identification.
 Lesson 2 focused on the Nature of Fingerprints.

Lesson 3 discussed about the important events in the development of

fingerprint as a form of personal identification

Lesson 4 explained Reasons why Fingerprints is one of the Most Infallible

Means of Personal Identification

Congratulations! You have just studied Module I. now you are ready to
evaluate how much you have benefited from your reading by answering the
summative test. Good Luck!!!