Latent Prints

Latent print analysis is the development of impressions left behind on a surface by the friction ridge skin on a person’s fingers, hands, toes or feet. Because friction ridge skin is highly discriminating and persists in the same pattern throughout a person’s lifetime, friction ridge impressions can be compared in an effort to identify a person as having touched an object or exclude a person from having left a particular impression.

The Scientific Analysis Bureau utilizes a variety of techniques for processing of evidence to develop latent prints, compares these developed latent prints to known prints to reach conclusions, and enters developed prints into fingerprint database systems, both state and federal, to search for potential matches to the prints. Latent print analysis is performed at all four regional laboratories of the Bureau.