Science / Medicine : Fingerprint Technology Gains

A biologist at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory has adapted conventional biological techniques for staining cells to produce an extremely sensitive new technique for recovering fingerprints at crime scenes. The new technique works on a number of materials from which fingerprints could not previously be recovered, such as the sticky side of adhesive tape, which is widely used in wrapping dope, counterfeit money, and bombs.

“I think it is one of the top five developments in the fingerprint field,” said Deputy Agent John Piper of the U.S. Secret Service, a fingerprint specialist. Both the Secret Service and the FBI have begun using the method, which was developed by George Sanders.

The technique uses extremely small particles of gold, which adhere to proteins left on surfaces as part of the fingerprint. The gold-labeled fingerprint is then bathed in a silver solution to enhance the image. Among the materials on which the technique has worked are computer disks, credit cards, bullet cartridges, wet and dry paper, glass and Styrofoam.