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Researchers Lift Fingerprints From Clothing

Posted by samzenpus on from the dust-it-all dept.

cylonlover writes "Refining an existing technique that's been used to successfully recover fingerprint detail from smooth objects such as glass and plastic, forensic scientists have managed to create a kind of photo negative of fingerprint impressions on fabric. It's a bit hit and miss at the moment, but even when clear ridge detail isn't retrieved, the technique could still prove useful to investigators looking for other evidence."

5 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. Doh.. by markass530 · · Score: 3, Funny

    It never occurred to me that they COULDN'T do so. at least that's the way I always planned my crimes

    1. Re:Doh.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Mod parent up. I own the FBI Fingerprint training manual. It's not a real science. It's not quantifiable and is based on inductive reasoning.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_science#Induction

      There is no data to support the alleged "uniqueness" of fingerprints other than "We checked, like, AT LEAST 100 people, and none of them were identical".

      They essentially place dots on distinctive features such as "curves" and "swirls" and then measure the distances between these dots. If a small fraction fall within the "fudge factor" they take in to account to allow for distortion, they consider it conclusive after looking at them side by side.

      Imagine Chief Wiggum alternating which eye he closes while holding 2 sheets of paper. I shit you not.

      The jailing and torture of the Portland Attorney based on partial print analysis demonstrates how little basis fingerprinting has in reality.

      FBI:"We are 100% percent sure this is a match"
      2 years later...
      CIA:"So... the real bomber just confessed so we've been torturing an innocent man that you were "100% sure" was a match..."
      FBI:"Honest mistake. Hey, think of it as the exception that makes the rule!"

      Fingerprinting has lost all credibility in my eyes as anything but exonerating or exclusatory evidence.

  2. Quick! by mug+funky · · Score: 4, Funny

    Test the inside of OJ's bloody glove.

  3. Is it 1985 again? by dbIII · · Score: 3, Informative

    A clever technique involving lasers and polarised light to detect fingerprints on clothing was used in 1985 in New Zealand to catch the murderers of an environmental activist.

  4. Re:Burn the clothes? by jamesh · · Score: 3, Funny

    Not really that smart - just look for the people with burnt clothes!