No More “Dusting for Prints”

A man is looking at fingerprints on a glass vase.

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE

Fingerprints and forensic evidence found at the scene of a crime are two of the most valuable ways to identify a suspect and solve crimes.

Current methods for capturing latent fingerprints require physical contact which can possibly damage or destroy the fingerprint, or risk contaminating or destroying the DNA information contained in the fingerprints. Another problem is locating blood spots, gunshot residue and body fluids at the crime scene or on items taken from the scene to the laboratory.

ForenScope has developed, and is marketing, two products for law enforcement which address these deficiencies. These are the ForenScope Contactless Fingerprint System and the ForenScope Mobile Multispectral Imaging Tablet.

The ForenScope Contactless Fingerprint System rapidly visualizes and captures untreated and untouched latent fingerprints and handprints from glossy flat surfaces at the crime scene or in the laboratory. The ForenScope Contactless Fingerprint System provides 100 percent contact-free latent fingerprint imaging. It requires no powders, glue, chemicals, or dyes to enhance prints. This contactless capability prevents the possibility of contaminating or destroying delicate DNA evidence. Users may evaluate items for latent fingerprint detail, capture the relevant images and then process them for DNA, digital or other evidence types without any damaging processing techniques.

The lightweight system includes an integrated advanced mobile axial lighting system and an attached Canon camera. The Canon camera is powered by an internal lithium battery while the integrated axial light source is powered by an attached lithium battery. These batteries provide hours of operation for real mobility and have fast charging capability.

 The system operates without being affected by daylight and uses nonreflective visible lights with four different wavelengths. The system is completely mobile so it can be used at the crime scene and the items containing the fingerprints don’t have to be brought to a laboratory.

 The ForenScope Mobile Multispectral Imaging Tablet is the world’s first mobile, multispectral UV-VIS-IR imaging system for locating blood, gunshot residue and body fluids at the crime scene and in the laboratory. The ForenScope Tablet integrates a high performance digital Android interface with switchable filters and light frequencies to reveal a variety of forensic evidence types. The tablet has an eight inch high resolution and high sensitive IPS (In-Plane Switching) touchscreen, 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and is encased in a lightweight and robust protective aluminum frame. 

The system features a dual filter system. The primary filter may be switched between the UV/Visible setting or the IR setting. The secondary filters are housed in a rotatable filter wheel which includes yellow, orange, 415nm, or open filter settings. The advanced lighting system is housed in two interchangeable lenses, the Macro Lens and the Micro Lens. Each lens features white, UV-A, violet, blue, Infrared 1, and Infrared 2 LED lights arranged in a circular array. 

The ForenScope Tablet software includes a unique real-time image comparison utility. The tablet is powered by an internal lithium battery while the integrated light source is powered by an attached lithium battery. Each high capacity battery is rechargeable.

For more information, contact:

EVIDENT, INC.

739 Brooks Mill Road
Union Hall, VA 24176-4025

Phone: 800-576-7606

www.shopevident.com

            Bill Siuru is a retired USAF colonel. He has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University. He has been writing about automotive, aviation and technology subjects for many years.