Deck 8: Introduction to Processing Methods

Question 1

What are four major limitations that affect the quality of fingerprints recovered from a crime scene or from items of evidence?

Answer 1

a. The condition of the substrate
b. Environmental effects
c. The quantity of latent print material deposited
d. The methods of development, documentation and collection

Question 2

What are the components of latent fingerprint deposits?

Answer 2

a. Water
b. Lipids
c. Amino acids and proteins
d. Environmental contaminants
e. The products of environmental chemical reactions following deposition

Question 3

List three environmental contaminants that may be present in the fingerprint matrix?

Answer 3

a. Cosmetics
b. Lotion
c. Greece
d. Oil

Question 4

What happens to the water component of the latent print matrix when it is placed on the surface?

Question 5

When a fingerprint is deposited on a porous surface, what happens to the residual components of the fingerprint matrix when the water evaporates?

Question 6

Name three or more common porous evidentiary items you may find at a crime scene.

Question 7

fingerprints on nonporous substrates are absorbed.

Question 8

Are fingerprints deposited on a nonporous surface more or less fragile than fingerprints deposited on a poor surface? Why, or why not?

Question 9

Name three or more common nonporous evidentiary items you may find at a crime scene.

Question 10

What are semi-porous substrates? Give three examples.

Question 11

The processing method you choose will depend on which factors?

Question 12

What is the number one priority in a forensics laboratory?

Question 13

What are the risks of fingerprint powders?

Question 14

On what documents are potential health hazards and environmental hazards of chemical reagents outlined?

Question 15

nitrile gloves should be worn at all times in a forensics laboratory.

Question 16

What is a downflow workstation?

Question 17

light sources of certain intensities and wavelengths are not hazardous.

Question 18

What is the term for using chemical reagents in a specific order?

Question 19

A majority of frantic laboratories use all the processes described in this text

Question 20

List the general steps that should be followed when processing evidence.

Question 21

current methods of fingerprint development to not have detrimental effects on DNA analysis.

Question 22

Which fingerprint development processes must not be used if the item is to be submitted for DNA analysis?