Fingerprinting Quiz

Who was the first person to discover the individuality of fingerprints and their application to solving crimes?

• Sir William Herschel

• Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer

• Alphonse Bertillon

• Dr. Nehemiah

What are the three basic types of prints found by investigators at a crime scene?

• Visible, Plastic, Latent

• Patent, Plastic, Invisible

• Patent, Plastic, Latent

• Visible, Indentations, Hidden

How are fingerprints formed in the womb?

• By the mother's genetic code

• At week 20 of gestation

• By the father's genetic code

• By the interaction of the epidermis and the dermis

What are the characteristics used to distinguish one fingerprint from another?

• Ridge count and delta

• Thickness and flexibility

• Size and shape

• Color and texture

How are latent fingerprints collected?

• By dusting with powders

• By taking a photograph

• By using a chemical reaction

• By using a magnetic field

What is the name of the national digital database that holds about 47 million fingerprint records?

• Criminal Master File

• Federal Fingerprint Database

• National Fingerprint Registry

• Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System

Who was the first person in the Americas to be convicted of a crime based on fingerprint evidence?

• Francesca Rojas

• Juan Vucetich

• Pedro Ramon Velasquez

• Stephen Cowans

What was the outcome of the reexamination of the fingerprints in the Stephen Cowans case?

• The fingerprints did not match Cowans

• The fingerprints matched Cowans

• The fingerprints were lost

• The fingerprints were inconclusive

What is the future technology being developed to identify people?

• Facial patterns

• Fingerprint patterns

• Retinal patterns

• All of the above

What is the main reason for the fallibility of fingerprint analysis?