Development of new techniques for the recovery of conductive fingermarks

Abstract

Fingerprints are an important type of evidence within the practice of forensic investigation and are growing in importance in terms of security. Fingerprints as evidence are one of the most highly regarded forms of evidence in court. The uniqueness of fingerprints and the admissibility of such evidence has made fingerprints a vital part of forensic investigation. This being said the techniques used for recovering such evidence have not been developed much since the first uses in the 19th and 20th centuries. The modern-day role of fingerprints is becoming more apparent in technology and biosecurity, but this role has not yet been considered when recovering fingerprints throughout a crime. In order to develop a recovery technique that would allow application within technology, a level of conductivity is required to activate many of the sensors used in order to strengthen the level of security. This research highlights there is a way of developing existing techniques implemented within forensic investigation in a way that will consider this technological application. By finding a material that will conduct the current from a human body and capture the details of a fingerprint, a device may be unlocked by someone other than the electronic devices user. The success of this across various surfaces and device types could lead to the development of standard practices within forensic investigation, allowing the uses of such recovered fingermarks to be used more routinely throughout crime scene investigations.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English