| Abstrakt: |
This article provides the preliminary testing results of the Recover Latent Fingerprint Technology (Recover LFT, Foster + Freeman) during a one-week period at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The primary objective was to create a procedure, using the Recover LFT, to develop ungroomed fingermarks on fired cartridge cases and detonated improvised explosive devices. As a result of the limited timeframe, many different variables were investigated with smaller sample sizes. Despite these limitations, positive results were achieved, most notably, fired brass .223 ammunition, where 17 of 147 (12%) cases were deemed to have identifiable fingermarks. The Recover LFT offers a novel approach for developing fingermarks on metal surfaces because it appears to be attracted to the physical imperfections caused by the corrosion of the metal from the fingermark residue as opposed to the fingermark residue itself. This allowed the RCMP to develop a method for cleaning the gunshot residue from a fired casing, subsequently exposing the physical imperfections caused by the fingermark. It was observed out of the several cleaning methods tested that incorporating acetone was vital. In addition to the cleaning regime, other variables that appeared to have an impact on the results included the fingermark donor, the storage conditions (ambient or humid), and the amount of time between different stages of the experiment (deposition to firing, firing to cleaning, cleaning to development). When a proper cleaning process is used, the Recover LFT seems to be a viable option for developing fingermarks on fired cartridge cases and metallic components of detonated improvised explosive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
