Crime Laboratory

Fingerprint Analysis

The tiny swirls and curves, thinner than a strand of hair, linger at the edge of our fingertips creating a unique pattern. The analysis of those patterns has come a long way from the black powdery smudges sprinkled around crime scenes. Now infrared cameras and adhesives lift finger prints off many surfaces. Once a print has been located, it can be digitized and cataloged into the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) capable of comparing 15,000 prints per second. The Laboratory is electronically networked with the State of Ohio’s Bureau of Identification and Investigation database thereby allowing for near instantaneous statewide search capabilities.