NCJ Number
226667
Journal
International Journal of Police Science and Management Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2009 Pages: 72-84
Date Published
2009
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined fingerprint identification for volume crime offenses in Northamptonshire, England.
Abstract
Results show that three of the predictors considered in this study (fingerprint location, mobility, and police officer accreditation) significantly influence the outcome of finger print identification. The predictor that has been shown to have most significance for identification, and the predictor that can be most easily influenced by police forces, is the investigative skill of the police officer. This is a similar finding to the study undertaken in respect of timely DNA evidence. The number of fingerprint identifications has been shown to affect the outcome with the significance of the predictors diminishing as the number of identifications increases. Multiple identifications provide more robust evidence and make it less straightforward for a suspect to give an innocent explanation for their recovery from a crime scene. In this context, it is surprising that identifying both fingerprints and DNA from different sources to the same person did not affect the outcome of the crime investigation by leading to more detection. Data was collected from Northamptonshire, England, for the 3-year period from January 2004 to December 2006 and for the offenses of residential burglary, commercial burglary, and theft of a motor vehicle. 2 tables, 1 figure, 3 notes, and 9 references