Chapter 1 basic fingerprinting history of fingerprints

Early Fingerprint History

  • Ancient China (AD 600–700): Fingerprints were used to seal contracts and legal documents.

  • Fingerprints have been used for identification for centuries, but their scientific study developed much later.

Important People
1684 – Dr. Nehemiah Grew

  • One of the first people to scientifically study friction ridge skin.

  • Described sweat pores, epidermal ridges, and furrows.

  • Published accurate drawings of fingerprint ridge formations.

1686 – Marcello Malpighi

  • Used a microscope to study skin and friction ridges.

  • Observed fingerprint patterns including loops and spirals.

  • The Malpighian layer of skin was named after him.

1788 – J.C.A. Mayer

  • Proposed that the arrangement of skin ridges is never exactly duplicated between two people.

  • This was an early recognition of fingerprint individuality.

Development of Fingerprint Identification
1891 – Juan Vucetich

  • Developed a fingerprint identification/classification system in Argentina called Vucetichismo.

  • Associated with one of the earliest uses of fingerprints for criminal identification.

1892 – Sir Francis Galton

  • Published Finger Prints.

  • Stated that fingerprints:

    • Remain unchanged throughout life.

    • Are permanent.

  • Developed an early scientific classification system using:

    • Arches

    • Loops

    • Whorls

  • Studied ridge characteristics now commonly called Galton details.

1893 – Troup Committee

  • Investigated fingerprinting in England.

  • Fingerprinting was officially adopted as a supplementary identification system.

  • Later recommended use of the Henry Classification System.

1901 – Sir Edward Henry

  • Helped officially introduce fingerprints for criminal identification at Scotland Yard.

  • Credited with establishing the Henry Classification System, which became widely used for organizing fingerprints.

Fingerprinting in the United States
1902 – Dr. Henry P. De Forest

  • Responsible for the first large-scale documented systematic use of fingerprints for identification in the United States.

  • Used for the New York Civil Service Commission to prevent applicants from cheating.

1903 – Captain James Parke

  • New York State prison system installed the first systematic fingerprint system in the U.S. for criminal identification.

1904 – Leavenworth & St. Louis

  • The U.S. Penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth and St. Louis Police Department established fingerprint bureaus.

1904 – Sgt. John K. Ferrier

  • Helped introduce the Henry fingerprint system to American law enforcement.

  • Mary Holland also became an important advocate and instructor of the Henry system throughout the U.S.

1905–1906 – U.S. Army

  • The Army adopted fingerprint identification.

  • The Navy and Marines later developed fingerprint systems as well.

FBI & Modern Fingerprinting
1924 – FBI

  • The FBI’s Identification Division was established.

  • Fingerprint records from other agencies were consolidated into a major national identification collection.

1933 – FBI

  • Established a latent fingerprint section for examining fingerprints found as evidence.

  • Also created a civil identification section.

1974

  • The FBI Identification Division became the world’s largest fingerprint repository.

1980s – AFIS

  • AFIS = Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

  • Computers dramatically improved fingerprint searching.

  • Processes that previously took months could be completed in minutes.

  • Helped automate:

    • Classification

    • Filing

    • Searching

    • Matching potential fingerprints

Important Criminal Cases
1897 – India

  • Fingerprints were found on a Bengali almanac at a murder scene.

  • The thumbprint was linked to Kangali Charan, whose fingerprints were already on record.

  • The case demonstrated the potential value of fingerprints as criminal evidence.

1911 – United States: Thomas Jennings

  • Jennings was arrested for murder.

  • Fingerprint evidence was a major part of the prosecution’s case.

  • The Illinois Supreme Court accepted fingerprint evidence.

  • Jennings was convicted and sentenced to death.

  • This became an important case establishing the admissibility of fingerprint evidence in U.S. courts.

Key Test Concepts

  1. Fingerprints are considered permanent and highly individual.

  2. The three basic fingerprint patterns are arches, loops, and whorls.

  3. Francis Galton (1892) → Finger Prints, permanence + classification.

  4. Juan Vucetich → early fingerprint classification/criminal identification.

  5. Edward Henry → Henry Classification System.

  6. 1901 → fingerprints officially used for criminal identification at Scotland Yard.

  7. 1924 → FBI Identification Division established.

  8. AFIS → computerized fingerprint identification/searching.

  9. Thomas Jennings (1911) → major U.S. case supporting fingerprint evidence in court.

  10. Latent fingerprints are prints found at crime scenes/evidence and can be compared with known prints.