Hitting the mark: a bespoke imaging system for the enhanced capture of lifted fingermarks

This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of the traditional scanning of lifted aluminum powder marks using a flatbed scanner with a bespoke in house photographic alternative that utilised the reflective nature of the powder, so even trace amounts produced comparable results. Preliminary testing and an operational trial clearly demonstrated that using a bespoke imaging system enabled the visualization of fingermarks which had previously been challenging to a fingerprint expert, by improving clarity and contrast and in a number of instances this meant the difference between inconclusive, that is lacking sufficient information for a comparison, to identification of a suspect. The significance of the findings of this research was such that the bespoke system has been introduced into routine operational casework.