This podcast episode discusses the utility of friction ridge detail inadvertently captured in photographs as a valuable but often overlooked type of evidence for a variety of forensic case types.
In this podcast episode, host McKayla Martin talks with Tim Fayle, the Training Capability Lead for IDEMIA Australasia and the Chair of the International Association for Identification’s Latent Print Certification Board, about the benefits of using friction ridge detail that has been inadvertently captured in photographs as a type of evidence. Friction ridge detail has come into the forefront as an evidence resource since the development and increased use of social media and other digital platforms, including cellphone data, to identify perpetrators. Tim Fayle describes several criminal investigations were resolved through inadvertently photographed friction ridge detail, as well as several methods and techniques that latent print examiners can add to their toolkits that will allow them to analyze and compare that type of friction ridge detail. He also provides recommendations for making sure that that type of evidence is not overlooked or underused in future forensic investigations.