A fingerprint examiner plays a critical role in any investigation. An examiner looks at fingerprints and tries to figure out who owns them. These professionals work for government agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) or local police departments.
Dusting for fingerprints and gathering physical evidence from crime scenes are just a few of the responsibilities of a professional fingerprint examiner. Fingerprinting is done by sprinkling a fine powder on an object and collecting the prints. Under light, the magnetic dust forms the image of a print, which can be seen. Certain objects may also need to be removed from the scene for further analysis at a crime lab.
Immigration officials and fingerprint examiners collaborate to fingerprint people entering and exiting the country. To verify identity, people must provide their fingerprints at major entry points. To control immigration and prevent criminals from entering the country illegally, fingerprint identification is required. It is up to the immigration agency in that jurisdiction to determine whether or not a person complies with the rules.
The examiner’s other responsibilities include using a computer database to research and identify fingerprints. When a fingerprint is collected from a crime scene, it is entered into a national fingerprint database. The Automated Fingerprint Identification System is used by the majority of agencies in the United States. This system allows various law enforcement officials to access fingerprints, making it easier to link criminals to crimes committed in other locations.
A fingerprint examiner may be required to testify in court in a criminal case. The examiner may be required to identify the fingerprint of the alleged criminal and provide information about the criminal’s unique fingerprint map. By placing the criminal at the scene of a crime, the examiner’s testimony could be the deciding factor in proving a person’s innocence or guilt.
The majority of fingerprint examiners have received formal training in both evidence processing and fingerprint analysis. Examiners must also hold a diploma from a recognized trade school or community college. Several universities offer certificates in latent fingerprinting as part of their criminal justice or forensic science programs.
New technology may make the job of an examiner a little easier. A technique for fingerprint identification based on the chemical residue left by a person’s fingers is being developed by scientists at the University of California. If prints are found on an object, a light similar to that used in an x-ray machine can be used to see them in color.