Maggie Miller
February 12th, 2018
Forensics A/B Odd
Current Event 16
Automated fingerprint analysis is one step closer to reality: Scientists have developed an algorithm that automates a key step in forensic fingerprint analysis, which may make the process more reliable and efficient.
Since the first case where fingerprint evidence was used in court, in 1911, fingerprint analysis technology has been constantly developing and improving. While at the time of this first case, fingerprints evidence was thought to be indisputable, we now know that fingerprint examination can provide erroneous results. The article mentions evidence of errors made in fingerprint examination in a 2009 report that found the results “are not necessarily repeatable from examiner to examiner.” Because different experts have different opinions, innocent people have been wrongly accused. The purpose of this article is to spread the news that studies are being conducted to reduce the chance of human errors occuring. They provide evidence from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Michigan State University, who have evaluated an algorithm that can conduct the key steps in fingerprint analysis. The idea is that if fingerprint references were high- quality, it would be much more efficient to match them, especially on a computer that can analyze rolled prints. The tricky part is when the fingerprints are brought in from a crime scene, they are never perfect rolled prints, so it’s hard for examiners to determine what parts of the print evidence is useful.
By automating the step where examiners choose what is valuable prints and what is not, it will allow evidence to be processed more efficiently, reducing backlogs, etc. Crimes will soon be solved much more efficiently when the evidence can be processed conclusively, following the completion of the algorithm. This algorithm has the potential to permanently change the current ways of fingerprint analysis that has been used for decades, the same process that has lead to numerous false convictions. The possibility of someone being falsely accused by fingerprints would no longer be an arguable factor in a court of law.
This article was extremely interesting and valuable to society and relevant to our Forensic Class studies. This algorithm has the potential to change scientific method of fingerprint analysis! And the way the article was formatted and written was very easy to read and understand, it was divided into 3 parts; first the introduction paragraphs, then “A Key Decision Point,” then “Training the Algorithm.” This last section was the only slightly difficult information to understand because it got into the technical things of it, but was still clear and important to the article.
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