What are Latent Fingerprints?

Latent fingerprints are those left behind at a crime or terrorist site. To see an overview of the Latent Search Process as it is used at the Biometrics Fusion Center. Click here.  more

In forensics, latent fingerprints are marks left at the scene of a crime which may not be immediately visible to the naked eye. To expose latent fingerprints, technicians use fingerprint powder, fuming, and other techniques. Identifying latent fingerprints is an important part of evidence collection, and many technicians specialize in retrieving fingerprints from crime scenes and analyzing them in the lab in order to assist law enforcement with apprehending criminals. The hands and feet are naturally oily, due to the eccrine glands, which secrete sweat, a mixture of water, salts, and other trace compounds. The sweat adheres to the friction ridges of the finger, and when a finger is placed on a surface such as glass, plastic, or wood, an impression known as a fingerprint will be left behind. The natural oils of the body preserve the fingerprint, which is utterly distinct; no two humans have the same fingerprints. Latent fingerprints are usually left behind by accident, because a ...  more

Fingerprints that are invisible to the eye, but can be developed using detection methods such as spraying ninhydrin on a surface for example.  more