Fingerprint Cards Needed for Research Project

(This request is reprinted from the Oct./Dec. `97 the Examiner, published by the Pacific Northwest Division of the I.A.I..)

by PAUL TRUEDSON, Criminalist/LPE
Washington County Sheriff's Office
Hillsboro, OR

The Forensics Unit of the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Hillsboro, Oregon is starting a research project.  The focus of the project will be the comparison of multiple birth sibling fingerprint impressions.  I am writing to ask for your assistance.

We have been gathering 10--print card copies of twins and triplets to be compared to one another.  We need additional examples from fellow latent print examiners to be included in this project.  All prints will be held in a locked file cabinet in our Forensic Lab and will be used for the stated purpose only.  At the conclusion of this project I will prepare a research paper and send it to “The Examiner.”

The following are just two examples of our comparison work:

1. Twin Asian males.  Nearly identical classifications.  Whorls on all fingers except little fingers.

At first glance you would believe that both sets of fingerprints belonged to the same subject.  Upon closer inspection you begin to notice slight differences in ridge counts and tracings.  When actually comparing the two sets of prints you notice that each has the same approximate number and type of characteristics, width and shapes of ridges, and lack of incipient ridges.  However, these characteristics do not occupy the same relevant position and area.  Their classifications are:

TWIN #1 Classification
31 W IIM             PI DO PI PM 18
28 W OMI           PI PO PM PI 17

TWIN #2 Classification
31 W IIO             PI DI PI PO 14
28 W OII             PI PO PI DI 16

2. Triplet white males.  Radically different classifications.  All three subjects' prints contain scars, apparently because they are all employed as farmers, making them more prone to injuries to their hands.

TRIPLET #1 Classification
1 T --OO21              TT 11 16 17
1 T --IO21                TT IO 16 19

TRIPLET #2 Classification
1 R IIO               20 56 07 19 15
1 U IOO             19 05 17 20 15

TRIPLET #3 Classification
5 U IOI             PO 09 13 13 12
17 U III             PI 08 10 10 16

Any help that you can provide to us will be greatly appreciated, and we are looking forward to hearing from other examiners around the country.

Paul Truedson
Forensic Department
Washington County Sheriff's Office
215 SW Adams Avenue
Hillsboro, OR 97123

(Editor--—Let's help Paul in his research and demonstrate how resourceful SCAFO members can be.)

This article was reprinted in “THE PRINT”
Volume 14(2) March/April 1998, pg 8
and has been obtained from the online library provided by the
Southern California Association of Fingerprint Officers
www.scafo.org