Latent evidence from crime scenes is processed and submitted for examination. A latent print is a chance reproduction of a finger or palm print, often invisible until physical or chemical development, that may be left behind by direct contact with an object.
Latent Print Unit personnel encode and search suitable prints against the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) database of over 590,000 persons. This database includes the fingerprints and palm prints of adults and juveniles generated from Davidson County arrest records and Metro Nashville Police Department personnel. The Latent Print Unit also has the capability to electronically submit unidentified latent impressions to the FBI for a database search which searches approximately 145 million records, to include finger and palms, in a matter of minutes. Latent prints that are not identified are generally registered to the available databases and subsequently searched against all new arrestee fingerprints and palm prints. Many latent prints are not suitable for AFIS search, and are manually compared to the fingerprints (and palm prints) of individuals submitted by investigators.
Standard equipment for analyzing latent impressions includes magnifying devices and large, high-resolution computer monitors. As personnel analyze evidence and conduct comparisons, observations are documented in a Digital Image Management System. The Laboratory Information Management System is utilized to track chain of custody and electronically report findings.
Supervisor
Additional Staff
- 7 Forensic Scientists
- 4 Forensic Technicians
Related Photos
Scientist performing an AFIS Database search
Technician performing an AFIS search with returned candidate list
Scientist performing Documentation, Comparison, and Reporting
Scientist performing Examination and Documentation
Scientist performing Manual Comparisons utilizing a high-powered magnifier