Crime Reduction via the Sharing of
Fingermark Visualisation Best Practice
Dr Helen Bandey MRSC
2014
A report for the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for giving me a unique opportunity to
travel and broaden my knowledge in the field of fingermark visualisation and its integration with
other forensic disciplines. I am also extremely appreciative to my employers, the Home Office Centre
for Applied Science and Technology (CAST), for supporting my application and giving me the time to
complete the travelling fellowship.
These travels would not have been possible without the full support and overwhelming generosity of
my hosts. In particular I am indebted to Robert Ramotowski (United States Secret Service), Dr Della
Wilkinson (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), and Alex Beaudoin (Sûreté du Québec) for their time
and flexibility both before and during my visit, and for arranging a full and rounded schedule for the
time that I spent within their organisation. I am also very appreciative of all of the staff within these
organisations who gave up their time to talk to me about their fields of expertise and show me their
facilities.
2
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents...................................................................................................................................3
An Introduction to Fingermark Visualisation........................................................................................4
My Fellowship........................................................................................................................................6
Aims...........................................................................................................................................6
Itinerary.....................................................................................................................................6
Presentations.............................................................................................................................7
Travels within the USA...........................................................................................................................7
Stage 1: Minneapolis, Minnesota..............................................................................................7
Stage 2: Washington DC ............................................................................................................8
Travels within Canada..........................................................................................................................11
Stage 3: Ottawa (and Toronto)................................................................................................12
Stage 4: Montréal (and Québec City).......................................................................................19
Summary of Main Recommendations and Implementation Plan......................................................22
Conclusions...........................................................................................................................................23
3
An Introduction to Fingermark Visualisation
Fingerprints have been used for over 100 years as a form of personal identification. Even today, their
use in criminal investigations is important, and fingerprints continue to produce more identifications
than any other form of forensic evidence, including DNA. In order to utilise fingerprints for criminal
investigations they must first be ‘visualised’ as they are normally invisible to the naked eye. Once
visible the fingermark (or ‘mark’) is imaged and compared to suspect fingerprints or other crime
scene marks, thus linking crimes to suspects (or vice versa) or linking scenes.
Unfortunately there is not one single process that will visualise all marks as their constituents are
varied and complex, and normally unknown, and the surfaces on which they are found are diverse.
For example, marks may consist of a range of organic or inorganic chemicals excreted through the
various sweat glands on the body, or they may contain contaminants picked up on the hands
through contact with other materials, e.g. food or toiletries. This concoction of chemicals on the
fingers can be transferred to any surfaces touched, and these surfaces can have different physical
properties such as porosity, texture, cleanliness, colour etc. Because of this variability in both the
properties of the mark and surface, many branches of science are utilised to visualise marks
normally via chemical reactions, physical adhesions, or interactions with electromagnetic radiation.
The Home Office has a long history in providing comprehensive advice on all aspects of fingermark
visualisation, from strategic decision making to the practical implementation of processes, whether
at crime scenes, or on items removed to a laboratory. This has typically been via the ‘Manual of
Fingerprint Development Techniques’ (MoFDT) which was first published in 1986. The Manual was
adopted by every UK police force and by many overseas law enforcement agencies. It was typically
updated every 3-4 years including the publication of the 2nd edition in 1998, although the approach,
style and design have not changed over this time period. The final update was in 2010.
In the UK fingerprint evidence has traditionally been exploited by scientific support departments
within the police service, whilst other forensic disciplines (e.g. DNA, bloodstain pattern analysis,
trace etc.) have been exploited either in-part or wholly by outside forensic service providers.
Typically, a scientific support department has: (1) a crime scene unit, for recovering marks at crime
scenes; (2) a fingerprint laboratory, for enhancing marks on items that can be removed from the
scene, or applying more complex processes to the scene, and; (3) a fingerprint bureau, where
comparisons are made. In recent years there have been many changes to this structure. Some police
forensic departments have merged with neighbouring forces in efforts to save money whilst
continuing to provide a high level of forensic service provision. These larger departments are also
growing their capability in forensic disciplines in addition to fingerprints. Other major changes
include the introduction of the internationally recognised quality standards (ISO 17025) for forensic
science, and the closure of the Forensic Science Service and subsequent opening up of the forensic
market.
In order to keep fingerprint guidance relevant and up-to-date, the Fingermark Visualisation Manual
(FVM) was published by the Home Office in 2014 and replaced the MoFDT which had been the main
source of guidance for the past 28 years. The FVM was produced to provide comprehensive
information for practitioners involved in the recovery of evidential fingermarks in the UK, and was
written for today’s requirements, in particular the requirement of the ISO 17025 standard. The
4
change in name reflects the vastly different approach and there is more emphasis on competence
and integrated forensics, in addition to containing a vast amount of detail on the processes
themselves. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be a lead author and Editor-in-Chief
for this publication and it has been a big part of my life for the duration of its production (about 3
years) and subsequent implementation across the UK.
I’m very proud of the FVM, but as
with all publications, it only
documents what is known at the
time of publication. Fingermark
visualisation processes continue to
evolve, enabling end users to find
more marks on more surfaces,
leading to more identification,
detections and ultimately more
crimes solved. In addition to this,
substrates can change as materials
and requirements change. A
recent example of this is the
increase in the amount of recycled Front cover of the Fingermark Visualisation Manual
material of some papers and
plastic bags. A future example is the change from paper to plastic monetary notes which will happen
from 2015. Do we know how to recover fingermarks from such items? The FVM also contains a
chapter that was not covered in MoFDT, and relates to an integrated approach to forensic science.
This chapter barely scratches the surface, but highlights the need for a better understanding of the
requirements of each forensic discipline so that evidence most relevant to the investigation can be
maximised. In my opinion, this is an area that could be expanded in the future, either as part of the
FVM, or more likely as part of a suite of forensic best practice manuals. It is clear that the FVM must
be kept up-to-date, and there are some clear gaps in knowledge either around specific fingermark
visualisation processes or more strategic areas including integrated forensics. In addition, there may
be better, faster, cheaper ways of doing what is already done – something the Home Office is very
keen on, in particular doing more processes directly at the scene. My fellowship is based around
these thoughts, and by seeing firsthand how international organisations tackle some of these issues
will be invaluable in evolving the FVM into a greater publication, to the benefit of the UK.
5
My Fellowship
Aims
The overriding aim of my Winston Churchill Fellowship was:
1. To bring good practice in forensic evidence recovery back from North America to the UK so
that policing can benefit from improved methods. The focus was on fingerprint recovery and
its interactions with other forensic methods.
This broad aim has three underlying objectives:
1. To gain knowledge on the rationale behind using fingermark recovery methods at scenes
versus recovering items to a laboratory. This is most pertinent for the visits within Canada
where geographic size may mean it is not feasible to send items to a laboratory.
2. To learn how organisations have implemented specific processes that are likely to be
relevant to UK policing in the near future. In particular I investigated the use of ‘Oil Red O’
and ‘Physical Developer’.
3. To learn how organisations maximise evidence recovery when multiple evidence types are
required so that UK guidance can be built upon.
Itinerary
My fellowship lasted for five weeks and involved travelling to four main locations in USA and Canada
(in bold) with several opportunistic trips added en-route (in italics). My itinerary was as follows:
10th – 15th August
International Association of Identification (IAI) Educational
Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
18th – 22nd August
US Secret Service (USSS), Washington DC, USA
22nd August
Consolidated Forensic Services (CFS), Washington DC, USA
25th August – 5th September
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
28th August
Toronto Police Service, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
29th August
Linde Canada Ltd, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
8th – 12th September
Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Montreal, Québec, Canada
11th September
Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Québec City, Québec, Canada
6
Presentations
I prepared three presentations prior to my departure and delivered all to the USSS, RCMP and SQ:
1. ‘The Police Service in the UK and Forensic Service Provision’
This presentation was a good ‘ice-breaker’ and gave an honest appraisal about how policing in the
UK is set-up and how forensic services are provided. It also gave the audience an appreciation of why
I was interested in finding out about how their forensic services function.
2. ‘An Overview of the Fingermark Visualisation Manual’
In addition to prepared slides, I gave a live demonstration of the interactive Manual. This was an
opportunity to showcase the Manual, field questions and get direct feedback from those who have
already been using it.
3. ‘Fingerprint Research Projects at CAST’
This was an opportunity to discuss current or recent research projects that my organisation have
been involved in and get feedback.
In total, I delivered ten presentations during the five weeks of my travels.
Travels within the USA
Stage 1: Minneapolis, Minnesota
th
I started my fellowship by attending the 99 International Association of Identification (IAI)
Educational Conference. The IAI is the oldest and largest forensic association in the world. Its
annual conference focuses on educating those working in the field of forensic identification,
investigation, and scientific examination of
physical evidence.
This part of my trip was part-funded by the
Home Office and part-funded by the fellowship.
This enabled me to stretch my fellowship funds
to cover additional visits later on in my journey,
and also enabled me to promote the Fingermark
Visualisation Manual (FVM) to the
predominantly North American audience.
By starting my travels at the conference I had
the opportunity to make contact with a large
number of people from industry, academia and
government organisations, from researchers to
practitioners. Most of the contacts were made
Lesley Hammer, President of IAI 2014, and myself at the
Fingermark Visualisation Manual stand in the exhibition hall
7
through attending presentations (primarily on fingerprints, integrated forensics or footwear mark
recovery) and delivering my own presentation about the FVM, and spending two days on the Home
Office/TSO stand in the exhibition hall show-casing the FVM. It was also a good opportunity to catch
up with some of the people who would be hosting me later in my travels. It was within the vast
exhibition hall that I first came across Calvin Knaggs from Linde Canada Ltd and his AdroitTM FM300
fingermark development system, a product that caught my attention enough to warrant a detour
later on in my schedule.
Stage 2: Washington DC
I flew from Minneapolis to Washington DC where I spent four days with my host, Robert
Ramotowski, Chief Forensic Chemist within the Forensic Services Division of the US Secret Service.
Forensic Services utilised by the Secret Service include the full range of questioned document tools,
including fingerprints. They have long been recognized as one of the foremost questioned document
laboratories in the world and are home to the world's largest ink library.
The primary reasons for visiting this organisation were threefold:



Firstly, I wanted to see first-hand exactly how Robert uses Physical Developer (see case study
on pages 8-9);
Secondly, I wanted to understand more about how evidence is retrieved from documents
from an integrated forensics perspective;
And finally, as with all visits to other facilities, I wanted to absorb as much as I could about
general working practices within the fingerprints laboratory.
During the time at USSS, I was given a good overview of how questioned documents are processed
end-to-end, with in-depth focus on fingerprints. We spent a couple of hands-on days in the
fingerprint laboratory, learning about the processes utilised in the lab, and going through in detail
Robert’s methodology for Physical Developer, and also Indandione. Both of these processes will
need modifying in the next couple of years in the FVM, so learning as much as possible from an
organisation that predominantly processes porous items is invaluable. In addition, we treated papers
brought over from the UK to see if there were any unusual reactions caused by the different
manufacturing processes used in each country. It was also interesting to see how ISO 17025, the
quality standard that is being applied to forensic laboratories, has been implemented within the
fingerprints area.
As part of the visit I had a tour of the questioned documents section and got to see some of the
many tools used within this field to assist with handwriting analysis, revealing indented writing, ink
identification, and security feature viewing, to name a few. Most impressive was the ink analysis
laboratory which houses their ink library – one of only two places worldwide to have such a
collection. From an integrated forensic perspective, the ink analysis would be done prior to
fingerprints as many of the fingerprint processes would be detrimental to ink analysis.
8
CASE STUDY: Physical Developer
What is it?
Physical Developer is a fingermark visualisation
process that detects marks on porous
substrates. It is a chemical process that involves
exposing the item or surface to three solutions
in sequence. It works by preferentially
depositing silver metal onto fingermark ridges
resulting in grey/silver-coloured fingermarks. It
is believed to detect the presence of sebaceous
trapped eccrine constituents which assist
deposition of silver during development of the
fingermark.
It was first used in the UK in 1976 and was
included in the first edition of the Manual of
Fingerprint Development Techniques in 1986.
Scanning electron micrograph of silver particles deposited on
a fingerprint ridge on a fibrous paper substrate
Pros


It is still the single most effective process for the detection of fingermarks on wetted or
previously wetted porous substrates, e.g. items recovered from waterways or left outside in the
rain.
It can be used in sequence with other more effective processes on dry porous substrates and will
find additional marks that would not have been found otherwise. Thus it is an essential process
for serious crimes where full sequential processing is essential for maximising mark recovery.
Cons

It is not used as widely as it could be, or used to be, in UK fingerprint laboratories due to the
time it takes to set-up, the observation required during processing, and its ability to ‘go wrong’,
i.e. it is a labour intensive process relative to other porous process, such as Ninhydrin or DFO.
The USSS Approach
The USSS use Physical Developer on an almost daily basis. Their formulation is more stable than the
formulation described in the FVM, and, by default, this stability eliminates many of the problems
associated with the process. Their solutions are prepared in bulk and stored (for up to two months)
until required, thus saving a considerable amount of preparation time.
The success of this process is partly down to the instability of the solutions – the silver ions don’t
want to be in solution and so will deposit on fingermark residue with relative ease. By making the
solutions more stable, it may be that fewer fingermarks are detected, although research at USSS
does not back up this statement and they are happy with the sensitivity of the process.
continued...
9
CASE STUDY: Physical Developer continued
Potential Impact to the UK


Police Force Fingerprint Laboratories would be able to pre-prepare and store bulk solutions
ready for use as and when needed. This would reduce significantly the time taken to do Physical
Developer as currently it is recommended that solutions are made up fresh. This time saving
would mean police force laboratories are more likely to use Physical Developer as a more
routine process.
Solution stability means that the process is more consistent and is less likely to ‘go wrong’. This
would result in an increase in user confident with the process.
Both points would result in practitioners who are more likely to use Physical Developer, which would
then lead to an increase in the fingermark recovery rate from porous surfaces.
Recommendation

That more stable Physical Developer formulations are considered for use within UK Fingerprint
Enhancement Laboratories, subject to appropriate validation studies under UK conditions.
Whilst in Washington DC, Robert kindly arranged for me to visit the Consolidated Forensic
Laboratory. This facility opened two
years ago and houses all forensic
services for the District of Columbia,
although some areas are still to be
fully functional. The DC area covers
sixty-five square miles and has thirtynine law enforcement agencies, so
the benefits of a consolidated service
are self-explanatory. The building
itself has been given the highest
rating for energy and environmental
design. I was given a tour by Dr Max
Houck, Director, and was able to see
some of the CFL capabilities such as
DNA laboratories, material/trace laboratories, gun store, and the vast vehicle bay. I also spent time
with Jeffrey Cover who gave me a good overview of their current fingerprint practices and issues
they face. As in the UK, they are considering best ways to maximise both fingerprint and DNA of
items such as firearms. By having all forensic disciplines under one roof, they are ideally set-up to
understand the needs of each other’s disciplines in order to maximise evidence recovery most
appropriate to the investigation.
The new Consolidated Forensic Laboratory, Washington DC
10
Travels within Canada
Before going into detail about the specific visits within Canada, it is worth pointing out the
geographical differences between the UK and Canada as this has a significant bearing on how
forensic services are implemented in the two countries. See table below:
Population
Geographic area
UK
63 million
224,000 km2
Population density
258 people per km2
Canada
35 million
9,980,000 km2
[Ontario: 918,000 km2]
[Quebéc: 1,542,000 km2]
3 people per km2
Table showing the differences between the UK and Canada in terms of population, geographic
area and population density
Canada has approximately forty times the land mass of the UK, and just greater than half the UK
population. The two provinces visited, Ontario and Québec, have approximately four and six times
the UK land mass respectively. I found this staggering and when you see the UK superimposed on a
map of Canada, you start to appreciate the logistical difficulties of providing forensic services:
The size difference between Canada and the UK is apparent when one map is superimposed upon the other
The majority of forensic services within Canada are provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP). RCMP is the Canadian national police service, and provides a total federal policing service to
all Canadians and police services to all provinces except Ontario and Quebéc. Forensic science within
these two provinces is provided locally by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Sûreté du Québec.
11
Stage 3: Ottawa (and Toronto)
I travelled from Washington DC to Ottawa where I would spend the next two weeks of my journey,
with a small detour to Toronto part way through my stay. The majority of the time was spent with
my host Dr Della Wilkinson, Research Scientist within the Integrated Forensic Identification Services
(IFIS) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
IFIS is the national policy centre for RCMP that
supports forensic identification services and is
based in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. It
employs two researchers and three forensic
identification specialists (police officers
certified in fingerprint comparison) whose
responsibility is to ensure forensic services are
meeting modern technical standards and are
fit-for-purpose for Canada’s needs. In addition
to supporting ‘traditional’ forensic
identification services, the team also provide a
scientific input into specialist areas such as
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and
Explosive response (CBRNE) crime scene
examinations, an area that Della has
significantly contributed towards over the past
few years.
The primary reason for visiting RCMP was:

Dr Della Wilkinson and myself enjoying a day off at
Willson Carbide Mill, Gatineau Park, Quebec
To understand how fingerprint and forensic service provision is provided by the RCMP across
Canada, with particular emphasis on learning about their approach to integrated forensic
evidence recovery and crime scenes.
For the duration of my stay in Ottawa, Della had kindly organised a schedule of visits to see various
departments and/or speak to specific staff members. The highlights are outlined below.
National Division Forensic Identification Service (FIS): There are more than seventy RCMP FIS
units across Canada, providing a forensic service to all but Ontario and Québec. The National Division
FIS is based in Ottawa, Ontario and focuses its expertise in sensitive, high-risk investigations into
significant threats to Canada’s political, economic and social integrity. They do not deliver ‘normal’
policing forensic services within Ontario as this is provided locally by the Ontario Provincial Police.
I met Sergeant Maryse Laurin, a uniformed forensic identification specialist, and we spent time in
the fingerprint laboratory talking through her job role and comparing it to UK job roles to see the
differences. Most apparent was the broad and diverse nature of an identification specialist job, and
the fact that they are police officers rather than civilian staff as in the UK. A forensic identification
specialist is trained to investigate, perform crime scene examinations, including all photography and
recording of the scene. They are also trained to examine and process physical evidence including
fingerprints, footwear impressions and tyre tracks, determine what evidence is of value, enhance
12
digital images, prepare evidence charts and present
opinion evidence. In the UK many of these roles are
performed by individual specialists in each field e.g.
forensic laboratory officers (who are expert in
fingermark visualisation), or fingerprint experts (who are
experts at the comparison of fingerprints). Part of the
reason for RCMP’s approach goes back to the
geographical size of Canada. In remote areas the
Forensic Identification Specialist may be the only person
in the area to investigate that crime, so they have to be
able to turn their hand to all tasks. This approach
remarkably means that Canada is able to provide
forensic services to 80% of its landmass, which is
incredible considering the vast amounts of wilderness
A photo of Maryse Laurin, Dr Della Wilkinson and
across Canada, particularly in the north of the country.
Rolanda Lam taken during a tour of National
Maryse also informed me that, due to scene constraints,
Division FIS
putting items on a plane and sending them back to a
laboratory was often the preferred way to enhance fingermarks on small, removable items – in this
case the size of Canada did not seem to influence their decisions on what to process where.
Forensic Assessment Centre (FAC): I met Ghislain Cormier a National Operations Specialist to
discuss the role of FAC. FAC assess evidence collected by forensic identification specialists and sent
in by investigators to see if it should be accepted for further forensic testing (such as toxicology,
firearms, biology, trace or handwriting). By the time evidence gets submitted to the forensic
laboratories it would have been treated for fingerprints already by the Forensic Identification
Specialist. There are several reasons why FAC may reject evidence for further treatment. Firstly, they
will not accept items in that have been poorly packaged and this in turn raises packaging standards.
Secondly, they find out what the forensic question is that needs answering and its relevance to an
investigation, e.g. if a positive DNA result doesn’t add any value to the investigation then it will be
rejected. So in summary, FAC will push evidence back to the investigator if they are not content that
they meet their acceptance criteria. This ‘check’ stage ensures that only the most productive of
evidence is submitted for further forensics tests, thus saving time and money. There is a target turnaround time of forty days to complete all of the required analysis and send the results back to the
investigator.
Fingerprint Bureau: S/Sergeant Mike Leben gave me a comprehensive overview of the history and
current practices within the RCMP fingerprint bureau. Their database contains records for 4.5 million
individuals – this is comparable to the UK’s database when population differences are taken into
account. Mike ran through the statistics relating to the value of the database and some of the
current issues they face, and since my return I’ve put Mike in contact with specialists in the UK to
advise with these issues. From a fingermark visualisation perspective, I was encouraged to see the
level of detail submitted by Forensic Identification Specialists, which included entirety shots
alongside images of the marks themselves, and information about the type of visualisation process
used and the surface on which it was found. This additional information is important in ensuring
mark images are interpreted correctly and thus avoiding possible missed identifications. This level of
13
recording and communications is described in the new FVM as it is an area that could be improved in
the UK.
Forensic laboratory: The forensic laboratory contains all of the facilities expected of a modern
forensic laboratory. I was given a tour of the laboratories which include biology, DNA, trace
(including gunshot and explosive residue), drugs and alcohol, firearms and counterfeiting. Evidence
would be submitted to the laboratory after fingermark recovery.
Of particular interest was the difference in the DNA laws between Canada and the UK. In the UK, the
retention period for fingerprints and DNA are the same. Both can be taken from a person upon
arrest, but both must be destroyed at a later date if that person is not convicted (there are some
special situations where there are exceptions to this law). Both can undergo a one-off speculative
search against DNA and fingerprints obtained from crime scenes (i.e. those stored on the National
DNA and Fingerprint Databases) whether convicted or not. In Canada, the laws for the taking and
retention of fingerprints are similar to the UK, but the DNA laws are quite different. A suspect’s DNA
can be taken and compared to a specific crime scene sample only, but it cannot be used to
speculatively search the national database – this can only happen on conviction. The DNA and
fingerprint databases in the UK are both big and of a comparable size. In Canada, the fingerprint
database is significantly larger than the DNA database. With this in mind, it is clear why fingerprint
recovery is typically done prior to DNA by forensic identification specialists, as it is more likely to
lead to crime detection.
I spent an extended period of time with John Marshall from the firearms unit to discuss the impact
of fingermark visualisation on ballistics. For comparison, Canadian gun laws are more closely related
to UK laws rather than US laws. Even though their gun controls are strict, they still get many guns
coming into Canada from across the vast border with the USA. As with everything within the
forensics department, fingerprints have been done before exhibits enter the firearms unit, and this
was not considered a problem as firearms examinations are generally interested in the inside
surfaces, whilst a fingerprint examination is generally interested in the outside surfaces. However, it
is important that rust does not form on the inside of the gun – something that can occur if waterbased fingerprint processes are used. Most countries have had significant cutbacks in forensic
services over the past few years and Canada is no exception. Six firearm units across Canada have
been reduced to three, although this does not seem to affect the level of work they do with
firearms. This is a major advantage of having a national structure as it is easier to set-up regions of
expertise.
IFIS (Research laboratory and current projects): IFIS have their own laboratory for research
purposes and regularly have students working on short term projects as well as running a handful of
larger projects. In order for a new process or piece of equipment to be implemented across RCMP by
this team, there must be clear proven benefits as it is no small task to deliver updated training to all
forensic identification specialists across RCMP. This differs from my role at the Home Office where
even minor improvements are delivered as guidelines and it is up to the local police force to decide
whether or not to implement the changes. An important completed piece of IFIS research is the
assessment of processes for a new and relevant substrate – polymer banknotes. The UK will have
similar notes from 2015 and findings from the RCMP study are already influencing current Home
Office research in this area.
14
‘Rapid DNA’ is an area that the RCMP IFIS unit are currently interested in, as are we in the UK. They
are considering the future impact of being able to analyse DNA samples in fast time i.e. within a few
hours rather than days, and are considering two commercial systems that have this capability. Also
within the DNA area, they are looking at the impact of fingerprint reagents on DNA, but more from
the perspective of whether or not the chemicals impact on DNA extraction.
Other projects include: long term joint studies with other countries looking at the forensic recovery
from chemical/biological incidents; studying the efficiency of identifications (an interesting area
which, if successful, has the potential to streamline checks for straightforward comparisons, whilst
ensuring a more robust method for complex mark comparisons), and; work within the Canadian
Friction Ridge Working Group on guidelines for areas that forensic identification specialists could
testify to.
Canadian Police College (BPA, footwear, and fingerprint training): I’ve always been interested
in how evidence recovery is taught to practitioners, or how a new process is implemented amongst
end users. If done well, a practitioner is more effective at their job, the employer will get more
return for their investment, and more crimes will be solved. I have spent 14 years inputting into UK
fingermark recovery training courses and was very keen to see how specialists are trained within
RCMP. I visited the Canadian Police College (CPC) in Ottawa on a couple of occasions during my visit
and got to see specialists in blood pattern analysis (BPA), footwear and see the training centre itself.
Sergeant Beverley Zaporozan is a member of the Forensic Identification Training team and teaches
BPA to trainees. She gave me an overview of their approach to bloody scenes and used case studies
to demonstrate her points. Only experienced forensic identification specialist can go on to be a BPA
specialist, although a basic 40 hour awareness course is given to all. A BPA specialist would get
additional training, including a one-year understudy. This model seems to work well and has also
been used by Australia and New Zealand.
Sergeant Martin Lelievre is a forensic
identification specialist and teaches footwear
at the CPC. The use of footwear marks for
intelligence purposes is not as common in
Canada as it is in the UK, but instead all
marks go on to a full comparison. Many of
the recovery processes were similar to the
UK, although forensic identification
specialists may image electrostatic lifts or
gelatine lifts at the scene as they are fully
aware of degradation caused through
packaging and transport. There is a good
The fingerprint training laboratory at the Canadian Police
attitude toward getting the best possible
image of a mark (of any kind) as ultimately it College
is the same person that has to make the
identification and go to court i.e. it is directly in their interest. Martin also gave me a tour of the
facilities used to train forensic identification specialists including the laboratories for chemical
15
treatments and light source examination, photographic areas, and the comparison room used for
teaching fingerprint and footwear comparisons.
Police training is done at the RCMP facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. Once qualified, an RCMP officer
may choose to specialise and become a forensic identification specialist where they will receive
training not too far from the sort of training that UK crime scene examiners/laboratory
officers/fingerprint and footwear experts receive. This broad role, along with a geographically
flexible workforce (some employees typically will move around every 2-3 years) ensures that RCMP
can provide a service to remote areas of Canada – having specialists within narrow job roles as we
do in the UK is not considered an option. In order to keep up-to-date, forensic identification
specialists are updated by either email communication, online training and they get formal refresher
courses every two years. In addition, job-shadowing follows formal training which is something the
UK could learn from – a trained person isn’t necessarily a competent one.
CBRNE and Tour of Mobile Laboratory: S/Sergeant Doug Young and Sergeant Diana O’Brien gave
me a very informative tour of RCMP’s mobile laboratory, which is housed inside a large van and
capable of dealing with contaminated exhibits. The laboratory is extremely well designed and fitted
with all of the equipment used by a forensic identification specialist. The van is capable of being
mobilised to any part of Canada should such an event
require it. The van’s primary purpose is to screen items,
although it does have full identification capacity.
Sergeant Diana O'Brien (left) and S/Sergeant Doug Young (right) showcasing the RCMP mobile laboratory
16
As mentioned on page 7, I had made contact with Calvin
Knaggs from Linde Canada Ltd whilst in Minneapolis. He
is the inventor of the Linde AdroitTM FC300 Latent
Fingerprint Development System and has been very
innovative in his approach to mark development by
exploiting vapour-phase reaction/interactions between
chemicals and marks. As it happens, Calvin is based in
Mississauga – a town on the outskirts of Toronto. Toronto is
just a five hour bus journey from Ottawa, and with Della’s
help and support with travel logistics and rearranging my
schedule within the RCMP, I was able to visit Calvin and see
firsthand the equipment that grabbed my attention three
weeks previously.
Calvin Knaggs and myself at the Linde Canada
Ltd facility in Mississauga
Whilst at the Linde facility, Calvin gave me an overview and
demonstration of the equipment, including its development
from an idea, to the production of a proof-of-concept system, to the production of the current
prototype system. The following case study summarises the equipment and potential imact to the
UK:
CASE STUDY: LInde AdroitTM FC300 Latent Fingerprint Development System
What is it?
The equipment: It is a commercially available piece of
equipment capable of visualising fingermarks on a
wide range of surfaces, irrespective of the surface
porosity. The equipment consists of a vacuum
chamber in which items are placed. A selected
development tablet (see below) is then sublimed and
the vapours carried into the development chamber
via a carrier gas where mark development occurs.
The tablets: A range of tablets are available that
target different components of fingermarks. The
majority of the tablets are made up of the active
chemicals that are used in either liquid or vapour
phase traditional fingermark visualisation processes
(e.g. cyanoacrylate, Basic Yellow 40, Ninhydrin,
iodine), although there is also a new proprietary dye
tablet.
The prototype AdroitTM FC300 Latent Fingerprint
Continued... Development System
17
CASE STUDY: Linde AdroitTM FC300 Latent Fingerprint Development System continued
Pros




It is simple to use.
All of the chemicals are applied in the gaseous phase.
There is a growing choice of development tablet which target different components of the mark.
These can be evaporated sequentially or even co-evaporated.
Running costs should be cheap as only the tablets will be required.
Cons




There have been no published comparisons made with current fingermark visualisation
processes either by Linde Canada Ltd or by an independent body.
The process is not well understood.
Initial set-up costs are likely to be expensive as the equipment will need to be purchased.
Only one system has been sold, probably due to the lack of any validation studies either by Linde
or other organisations.
Future Possibilities
Calvin Knaggs has produced a system that, I believe, has real potential to change the way
fingermarks on removable items are developed. In my opinion, if the processes prove to be at least
comparable to current methods, then it is not beyond the realms of possibility to have a simple
system that can process most small exhibits that get submitted to a laboratory for treatment. Taking
it one step further, it may even be possible to have generic tablets that target either ‘porous’ or
‘non-porous’ surfaces, thus simplifying the fingermark visualisation process considerably. In this
case, the tablet could be a mixture of chemicals that target main constituents (rather than specific
constituents) within fingermarks.
Potential Impact to the UK:



Cost savings to the police by removing expensive HFE solvent costs (estimated annual savings of
£20,000 per year per police force).
Time savings to the police by removing other more complex and time-consuming processes.
It is less destructive to the item and mark than traditionally chemical processes and therefore
less likely to be less destructive to the recovery of other types of evidence.
Recommendation
I strongly recommend that this technology and the vapour-phase approach to fingermark
visualisation are thoroughly investigated within the UK.
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Stage 4: Montréal (and Québec City)
For the final leg of my trip I flew from Ottawa, Ontario to Montréal, Québec to spend a week with
Alexandre (Alex) Beaudoin at the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). SQ are the provincial police for Québec,
although they do not provide policing within the local area of Montréal, as this is provided by the
Service de Police de La Ville de Montréal (SPVM) (although laboratory facilities at SQ are shared).
Alex is the scientific and technical advisor within the Forensic Identification Division. The primary
reasons for visiting this organisation were twofold:


Firstly, to expand my knowledge on the use and benefits of Oil Red O;
Secondly, to see how forensic science at SQ is performed compared to a UK police force.
During my time at SQ Alex had kindly arranged a schedule which allowed me to visit various
departments and spend enough time in the laboratory to learn about Oil Red O. He even managed
to fit in a daytrip to the historic city of Québec, the capital of the province of Québec, to visit to a
different SQ fingerprint laboratory. The main findings are outlined below.
Scenes of Crime: I was given a good overview of the role of the crime scene investigator (CSI) by
Sergeant Luc Gagnon. He is responsible for making sure that there is crime scene cover across the SQ
area should it be needed, and that they have the necessary equipment to carry out their job. It was
interesting to talk through their approach to major crime scenes in rural or remote areas, where
crimes of this type are extremely rare. It is difficult for such areas to maintain forensic staff
competent in all aspects of crime scene examination when they may use some of the tools
infrequently (once a year at most). For this reason, SQ will often send an experienced CSI from
Montréal to help the CSI in the remote area. This approach
minimises mistakes made by inexperienced staff. This seems
to be a pragmatic approach and offers a value for money
solution, and the UK could learn from this, especially with the
use of processes such as luminol1. SQ also provide basic
fingerprint kits to police officers as it is not always possible to
get a CSI to the scene due to the vast area that SQ cover
(which leads to prohibitive costs).
In general CSIs do not lift many powdered marks, instead
preferring to photograph marks in-situ. In the UK, the
majority of powdered marks are lifted, partly due to the fact
that aluminium powder is most commonly used, it lifts well,
Alex Beaudoin, myself and Sergeant Luc
and due to its highly reflective nature can be difficult to
Gagnon in Quebec City
image on the surface. Many countries prefer to use granular
powders which are easier to image directly. Items recovered from the crime scene can be sent to the
fingerprint laboratory for processing by a permanent laboratory technician – this is similar to the
way that UK scientific support operates. As with RCMP, after basic CSI training, the staff member is
mentored for up a year to build their level of competence.
1
Luminol is a spray reagent commonly used to search for traces of blood at crime scenes. It reacts with the
haem constituent of blood to produce a blue chemiluminescence, but can also react with other materials to
yield false positives. Its use and interpretation require a high level of competence from the user.
19
Fingerprints: I spent time in the fingerprint
laboratory with Alex learning as much as I
could about Oil Red O - a process that is
currently not used in the UK. However it does
now feature in the Fingermark Visualisation
Manual as a niche application process, albeit
with limited processing instruction. For
further information on this process see the
case study on the next page. The Oil Red O
research is one of several projects that have
been carried out by summer students which
Alex has had access to for the past few years.
This year’s student is looking at the number of Marie-Eve Gagné, laboratory technician, accessing the Fingermark
marks developed as a function of time for the Visualisation Manual within her laboratory
range of processes that they use in their laboratory.
I spent some time with Marie-Eve Gagné, the laboratory technician, and one of the highlights of the
trip was seeing her successfully access and navigate around the Fingermark Visualisation Manual
directly on a computer in their laboratory. I was so proud I had to take a photo and include it in this
report as evidence of a successful implementation!
Forensic Services: Forensic services for SQ are provided by Laboratoire de Science Judiciares et de
Medicine Legal. They are not part of SQ but a government organisation and based within the SQ
headquarters in Montréal. I was given a tour of the many laboratories, including biology,
blood/semen screening, serology, their examination room, research and development and firearms.
Evidence that is fragile (e.g. trace) or prone to contamination (e.g. DNA) is recovered first, but as
with RCMP, I was extremely impressed with the
knowledge that different specialists had with
regards to minimising damage for subsequent
examinations (e.g. fingerprints). The tour of the
firearms unit confirmed everything that I had
previously learned from visiting units within RCMP
and back in the UK, and it is worth noting that I
haven’t yet found anywhere that has success with
recovering DNA or fingermarks from fired
cartridge cases. This is currently an active area of
research in the UK, but I believe studies need to
focus on whether any components of the mark
Tour of the Laboratoire de Science Judiciares et de
survive the firing process, before determining the
Medicine Legal
visualisation process.
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CASE STUDY: Oil Red O
What is it?
Oil Red O is a fingermark visualisation process that
detects marks on porous substrates. It is a chemical
process that involves the application of a solution to
the item or surface followed by washing with water. It
interacts with the fats and lipids in latent fingermarks
and some greases to give a red/brown-coloured
product.
Pros

It is a cheap, simple and quick process.
Cons

Its effectiveness drops considerably with the age of
the mark.
The SQ Approach
Alex has developed this process and now makes full
use of it within his laboratory. It would be used after
Ninhydrin, but before Physical Developer, as part of a
sequential processing plan for treating porous items.
Recommendations
Oil Red O is not one of the most effective processes for
developing latent marks on porous substrates.
However, it may add value when other processes in the
porous sequence cannot be used. For example, amino
Alex Beaudoin demonstrating Oil Red O in his
acid reagents are ineffective on wetted papers, and
laboratory
some papers can degrade or give high levels of
background development with Physical Developer. SQ
is one of the few organisations exploiting Oil Red O and I therefore recommend that:

Further validation studies are conducted to establish whether or not there is value in using Oil
Red O on porous substrates in the UK.
Potential Impact to the UK

Oil Red O could provide a simple option to fingerprint laboratories for treating wetted papers
that are known to be destroyed by Physical Developer, thus giving them a chance of finding
fingermarks on such items.
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Summary of Main Recommendations and Implementation Plan
Recommendation 1:
That the findings from this trip are shared with relevant members of staff within my organisations.
Recommendation 2 (page 10):
That more stable Physical Developer formulations are considered for use within UK Fingerprint
Enhancement Laboratories, subject to appropriate validation studies under UK conditions.
Recommendation 3 (page 18):
I strongly recommend that this technology [the Linde AdroitTM FC300 Latent Fingerprint Development
System] and the vapour-phase approach to fingermark visualisation are thoroughly investigated
within the UK.
Implementation Plan
Within the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) the following staff
members may be interested in the findings of my report:
1. The service manager for the ‘Evaluation and Validation of Fingermark Development Processes’
service. They will be interested in all three recommendations, plus the additional pieces of
informative information too numerous to mention in this report. For that reason, I will also
share my ‘daily diary’ and any other information gained. It is hoped that recommendations two
and three are taken forward within this service in the future.
2. The lead domain specialist for fingerprints. This person is also the chemistry functional home
manager and is responsible for resourcing most forensic science projects within CAST.
3. The forensic capability advisor. They are responsible for overseeing forensic science in CAST.
4. The head of delivery within CAST.
In addition to circulating the report to those listed above, I would like to explore other avenues to
ensure that recommendation three is taken forward. These include:
5. Exploring the possibility of conducting a feasibility studies on the Linde AdroitTM system via the
‘Innovation’ service.
6. Exploring other funding streams such as the Police Innovation Fund.
7. Making introductions between Calvin Knaggs, Linde Canada Ltd and relevant UK organisations
with the aim of improving routes to market.
22
Conclusion
During my five weeks of travelling around the USA and Canada, I have received an overwhelming
amount of information/advice/guidance from a broad range of forensic organisations that have
expanded my views and knowledge on fingermark visualisation and its integration with other
forensic disciplines. For clarity, only key points have been documented within this report, but
beneath these broad descriptions lay a level of detail that will be invaluable for improving forensic
science practices within the UK.
The advancement in vapour-phase fingermark visualisation processes is particularly exciting. The
multi-process vacuum system, invented by Calvin Knaggs from Linde Canada Ltd has huge potential if
it is researched further by applied science organisations in collaboration with end users, so that the
operational benefits can be determined. This wasn’t the only vapour phase process of interest.
Calvin has also done work on alternative Vacuum Metal Deposition processes using aluminium
instead of traditional gold/zinc. Whilst at the IAI conference, I also spoke to a Dutch forensic
company, BVDA, as they have made a one-step fluorescent superglue product. This is another
vapour-phase process that removes the need for applying liquid-based dyes, and is one of three
similar products to make it to market in the last two years. I have since received a sample for
inclusion into comparison studies that are currently taking place within my organisation.
I have gained a wealth of useful information for two specific fingermark visualisation processes
(Physical Developer and Oil Red O) from two scientists (Robert Ramotowski and Alex Beaudoin
respectively). Over the years, both Robert and Alex have conducted extensive research into these
processes and have a depth of understanding greater than most within this field, particularly when it
comes to the practical use of them in an operational environment. The knowledge gained from
seeing how other organisations have implemented such processes, and overcome known problems
with them, will directly feed into the current research programme at my organisation, and ultimately
form part of an update to the Fingermark Visualisation Manual.
In addition to the scientific findings, it was interesting to compare the UK policing and forensic
structure to Canada’s structure. Both systems have evolved to meet the requirements of that
country, but there were ways of working within Canada that may be beneficial to the UK. The time
spent at RCMP gave me a very good insight into the benefits of a coordinated national approach to
policing and forensics across the majority of Canada. An obvious benefit includes the fact that some
forensic services are expensive and benefit from being shared across large areas/populations. In
times of austerity, department closures have meant that some laboratories have been closed, but
there is always somewhere across Canada and within RCMP that can do the work. I was also
extremely impressed by how staff looked outside of their field of expertise and understood that the
needs of the investigation were more important than their own department’s successes. This may be
because all forensic science within a case is typically delivered by one organisation, whereas the UK
may use in-house services and those provided by the private sector or other government
organisations. Or it may be because UK departments are very target driven, and each area has to
prove that it is important and value for money, thus there may be a level of competition between
departments in terms of who gets the credit for the detection. With regards to scene use of
fingermark visualisation processes, I was surprised (considering Canada’s vast landscape) that the
majority of processing is not necessarily done at the scene. Their preference was to take removable
23
items back to the laboratory where they could be dealt with under a controlled and less stressed
environment. The fact that the laboratory may be a plane ride away was not considered a problem.
In terms of using my finding to make an difference within UK forensic science, I have many small
nuggets of useful information (too many to document all in this report), along with bigger
recommendations (as outlined in the case studies), that will feed directly into Home Office work
areas as outline on page 22.
In addition to the forensic aspects of my travels, I’m also keen to continue to promote the WCMT
whenever possible. I will be delivering a lecture to my organisation where I will talk generally about
the trust and give an overview of my travelling fellowship, and try to inspire others to apply for this
unique opportunity.
I have already delivered a general WCMT presentation to scientists at an ‘Industry and Academia
Research meeting’, organised by a colleague at the Home Office. This was also a good opportunity to
inform the lead fingerprint researchers of my thoughts with regards to the Linde Adroit Fingerprint
Development System. A UK (and world leading) forensic equipment company, with a growing
research team, have shown interest in the Adroit system after listening to my thoughts on its
potential as a fast, cheap, effective and multi-functional fingermark visualisation system. It will be
interesting to see how this develops, and the Industry and Academia group, along with the Home
Office, may be able to offer support in terms of process validation or assist with the fundamental
understanding of the science behind it.
So overall I’ve had an incredible experience – a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something
different and worthwhile for both myself and the UK, so I am extremely grateful to the Winston
Churchill Memorial Trust for giving me such an opportunity. I do believe my findings will make a
difference. Some of the differences will be small and generally go unnoticed by those outside of the
field. But the important point is that they will make a difference as these small changes mean that
police forces continue to have tools available to them that are safe, effective, and as cheap as
possible. Without this input, I believe that the ability to find fingermarks on surfaces would slowly
decline as current processes become ineffective or unavailable. I will do all I can to make sure that
the bigger recommendations come to fruition – it is these finding that will have the biggest impact in
terms of improving fingermark recovery rates. Finally, in the not too distant future I would hope to
see at least some of my findings feeding into the Fingermark Visualisation Manual – subject to full
validation of course!
24