When most people hear of the term “Latent Print Examiner” their immediate response is “What is that? Do you look at swirls and lines all day?”
Most days it’s easier to respond “yes” to the above question but being a latent print examiner is SOOOO much more than looking at swirls and lines all day!
I wanted to take the next few Forensic Fridays to highlight different disciplines within the forensic science profession by interviewing current forensic practitioners who are very near and dear to my heart. In my very biased opinion, they are the best of the best and I have been incredibly fortunate to work with them!
Because I am a Latent Print Examiner, I figured we would start this series with the fingerprint discipline. Before we dive into these interviews, I wanted to take the opportunity to give a brief background on latent prints in general.
What is a Fingerprint?
Let’s start with a simple biology lesson…the fingers, palms, and soles of your feet are lined with friction ridge skin. The raised portion of that skin is lined with pores that secrete sweat and other gunk that can be transferred onto a surface when you touch something. This residue that is left behind is what we call a latent print or fingerprint.
The term “latent” means hidden or unseen to the naked eye. Latent print examiners use a wide variety of physical and chemical processes in order to visualize/develop any latent prints left behind on a surface. Any developed latent impressions are photographed and manually compared to any victim, suspect, or elimination fingerprints associated with that case in hopes of making a match.
Being a latent print examiner is like playing a giant game of where’s Waldo!
My Story
Like most young college kids, I wanted to be where the action was…at the crime scene, photographing the scene, collecting evidence, and everything else! I was incredibly fortunate to have the FBI teach my fingerprint course but HOLY GUACAMOLE was it boring! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever work in the field of latent prints.
It wasn’t until I landed my dream internship in Miami, Florida with the Miami-Dade PD’s latent print unit that changed my mind. I had the BEST, and I mean the freakin best summer of my life! My mentor changed my entire life…through his passion for latent prints is where I found mine! I had the opportunity to assist with processing evidence, fly in helicopters, learn about AFIS (automated fingerprint identification system), perform comparisons….like a million bajillion comparisons, go to crime scenes, and more!
My time in Miami changed my entire career perspective! It’s where I learned what a valuable asset latent print examiners are to a case. The rest is history!
So you want to be a Latent Print Examiner
I felt it was necessary to share other practitioners’ opinions on their feelings towards the latent print discipline. Don’t just take my word for it, see what these fantastic ladies have to say about being a latent print examiner!
I couldn’t think of any better women to interview for this series than my boss, Jenna, and my work wife, Christina. Together, the three of us make up our Latent Print Unit….go lady power! Check out what they had to say when I asked them “So you want to be a Latent Print Examiner.”
Jenna’s Interview
Title/position:
Laboratory Director
How long have you been in the forensic science field?
13 years
What are your primary job duties?
As Lab Director I perform all the administrative tasks and supervise the unit. As Quality Manager I maintain the manuals and protocols for the unit assuring we are conforming to the ISO standards to which we are accredited and as a CLPE I process evidence for latent prints and analyze and compare latent prints.
How did you get interested in the field of Forensic Science?
While my interest was sparked before the CSI shows began, I still have to admit I was still influenced by a movie! I was a sophomore in high school when I watched The Bone Collector for the first time. I immediately knew that this was the field for me. It took a couple of job shadows to realize that the field wasn’t like you see in the movies (or now on TV!) but I still knew that this was what I wanted to pursue as a career.
With the various disciplines of forensic science, how did you decide on a career as a latent print examiner?
I knew as a civilian in New England that the crime scene route would be very difficult so I assumed that DNA was one of my only options in this region. In grad school I had the opportunity (for which I was extremely grateful) to “dabble” in all the different disciplines. Instead of falling in love with all of the disciplines and having a hard time choosing one, I did quite the opposite. I had a long list of jobs that I was quickly crossing off, to include DNA (I hated it!). Latent prints had always intrigued me, and one of the job shadows I did in high school was with a latent print unit. I enjoyed how you could use traditional science and work in a lab with the processing aspect but also comparing felt like doing a puzzle to me. My grad school internship in the same unit where I did my high school job shadow solidified my interest.
What excites you most about the discipline of latent prints?
I think my favorite part is how rewarding it feels to make an identification. It’s almost like you’ve solved a brain teaser puzzle on your own without any help. I affectionately title my confidence in my opinions as “getting the warm and fuzzies” even though my decisions are based on data supported by my training and experience. There is truly a gratifying aspect to this portion of the job.
What is something about working in the field of fingerprints that caught you by surprise?
I think my biggest surprise was how frequently you are summonsed to testify and how infrequently you actually testify. I was definitely under the impression that each and every case you’d end up on the stand. This was initially one of my biggest fears that came with doing anything in the forensic science discipline and I must say that over time, it does in fact get easier. They don’t’ just tell you that!
What aspects of this field do you find most challenging?
I think keeping your motivation to do comparisons as the day progresses is challenging for me. Using your eyes all day can be physically exhausting even though you’re performing your task sitting down.
My personal unit doesn’t have this challenge, but I am aware that conflict resolution can be challenging in other units. This is a subjective, opinion based science where there can be times when examiners don’t agree. Working through these differences of opinion can be a challenge.
In order to succeed as a latent print examiner, what qualities should one possess?
Not only does an examiner need good vision, but they also need good visual acuity and to be able to understand the difference between the two. Examiners must have patience; this can be a tedious job whether it’s agonizing over a comparison or spending hours in the lab photographing latent prints. Examiners must learn how to operate efficiently. This particular discipline seems to be utilized in most investigations (i.e. determining who has touched an object is a fairly common way to investigate a crime). This means that the potential for backlog is great unless an examiner can be focused and efficient.
Where do you see the future of the latent print field going?
For forensic science in general, I maybe see an eventual accreditation/certification requirement, likely based on your state and maybe even a separate certification (almost like a license) to be able to practice/testify.
I think that this field will continue to have a human component for a long while and do not think there will be complete automation.
The science is continually evolving with new technology and I truly can’t wait to see what the next ten years of my career will look like!
If you were to give one piece of advice to an aspiring latent print examiner, what would it be?
It’s okay to feel frustrated as you are training. I went through a time in the beginning where I NEVER thought I’d be able to actually do the job. I’d have veteran examiners marking up prints and showing them to me and my head would swim with the things they’d point to that I just COULDN’T see. But with time, and training and looking at hundreds of thousands of prints, you too can see through the mush!! : )
Christina’s Interview
Title/position:
Certified Latent Print Examiner
How long have you been in the forensic science field?
Since July 2014 (6 ½ years)
What are your primary job duties?
To develop latent print impressions on crime scene related evidence, document and photograph latent print evidence, analyze and compare recovered latent prints to known standards and report on conclusions, perform biological collections on forensic evidence to be submitted to the State Police Crime Lab for DNA testing, write technical and scientific reports based on findings, and search unidentified latent prints in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS); additionally, I perform technical manager duties to include equipment inspections and maintenance, chemical inspections and inventory.
How did you get interested in the field of Forensic Science?
My best friend’s father is a homicide detective based out of Suffolk County, New York. Back in junior high school, he shared stories about working in the field of law enforcement and his relationship with the forensic crime laboratory and I developed an interest with the idea of utilizing science to help solve crimes.
With the various disciplines of forensic science, how did you decide on a career as a latent print examiner?
I was very fortunate to have two professors from both of my undergraduate and graduate studies that were latent print examiners actively working in the discipline. As mentors, they allowed me to work side-by-side with them as they guided me through numerous techniques for latent print processing as well as analyzing latent prints in Photoshop and offered me several internships and research opportunities in the latent print field.
What excites you most about the discipline of latent prints?
Each and every case is unique. I love being able to work a case from start to finish and see how everything comes together – from receiving the evidence in my custody, to documenting and chemically processing the evidence, photographing any latent prints recovered, analyzing and comparing prints and putting together an entire case file.
What is something about working in the field of fingerprints that caught you by surprise?
One of the unforeseen encounters beginning in the latent print field was the considerable amount of differing opinions there are within our own profession. The variation in conclusion language, differences in sufficiency determinations, and variations in agency policies across the country sometimes make it extremely challenging for the general population to understand the actual validity of forensic science. For the most part, we all perform the same tasks but do so differently and sometimes that non-uniformity can be perceived as unreliable.
What aspects of this field do you find most challenging?
The most challenging part of the field are the pressures involved with cases. Working in the law enforcement field, there are additional external stresses involved in casework and sometimes it can be extremely challenging to separate those pressures while conducting thorough analyses and comparison work. It is important to be able to professionally assert yourself to minimize or separate external pressures in order to optimally perform your job.
In order to succeed as a latent print examiner, what qualities should one possess?
Aside from excellent vision which is a no brainer, meticulousness and strong attention to detail are also a must. While latent print conclusions are subjective in nature, being objective to other factors surrounding casework to prevent or minimize bias is also extremely important.
Where do you see the future of the latent print field going?
Our discipline is always finding ways to improve and keep updated on the latest technology and challenges that the field faces. I think that our field will continue to develop standards and hopefully agree on a uniform language and conclusions with thorough explanations for each for everyone to be able to adapt.
If you were to give one piece of advice to an aspiring latent print examiner, what would it be?
If the individual is still in college I would highly recommend loading up on heavy science courses. Many agencies require M.S. degrees in a science such as biology, chemistry or physics. It would also be beneficial to practice working on comparisons as that is one of the most common duties of a latent print examiner. Becoming a member of the IAI to gain access to the Journals of Forensic Identification and keep current with the field as well as putting yourself out there to search for any internship opportunities and forensic related experience would also be extremely valuable.
Network! Network! Network!
I really hope these perspectives give you a better insight into the fingerprint profession! A huge shoutout goes to Jenna and Christina for participating in this interview series!
If you have any questions regarding latent prints or forensic science in general, post them below!
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