Forensics - Fingerprints

Latent fingerprint

Most frequent, it is visible to the eye and formed by oils/perspiration on fingers

Francis Galton

The man that described ridge characteristics to identify fingerprints.

Dactyloscopy

The study of fingerprints.

Arch

The fingerprint pattern that enters on one side and exits on the other.

Loops

The most common type of fingerprint.

Visible print

A bloody fingerprint on a wall.

Minutiae point

Smaller details in a larger pattern of a fingerprint consisting of bifurcations, dots, ridge endings, etc.

Loop

The fingerprint pattern that enters and exits on the same side.

Ulnar loop

A type of print that is characterized by the direction of the loop.

Delta

The triangular pattern in some fingerprints.

Whorl

A fingerprint pattern that has two deltas.

Plain arch

A type of fingerprint pattern.

Plain whorl

A type of fingerprint pattern.

Tented arch

A type of fingerprint pattern.

Double loop whorl

A type of fingerprint pattern.

Accidental

A type of fingerprint pattern.

Bridge

A type of minutiae.

One

The number of deltas found in a loop.

Molded/plastic

Indentations of fingerprints left on soft materials.

Generally minimum 12

The number of minutiae experts look at for matching fingerprints.

Ridge ending

A type of minutiae.

Double bifurcation

A type of minutiae.

Bertillon System

The system in place before the fingerprint identification system.

Anthropometry

The method used in the Bertillon System that took physical measurements of people's body parts.

Ridge count

Number of ridges from the core to the edge of the delta.

Fluorescent powder

The type of powder that would be best for multi-colored surfaces.

Radial loop

A type of print characterized by the direction of the loop.

Johann Mayer

Who declared no two people have the same fingerprints.

Francisca Rojas

The killer in the first case where fingerprints were used to solve the case.

Arched fingerprint

The type of fingerprint left at the crime scene in Argentina 1892.