title: Operational benefits and challenges of the use of fingerprint statistical models: a field study.
abstract: Research projects aimed at proposing fingerprint statistical models based on the likelihood ratio framework have shown that low quality finger impressions left on crime scenes may have significant evidential value. These impressions are currently either not recovered, considered to be of no value when first analyzed by fingerprint examiners, or lead to inconclusive results when compared to control prints. There are growing concerns within the fingerprint community that recovering and examining these low quality impressions will result in a significant increase of the workload of fingerprint units and ultimately of the number of backlogged cases. This study was designed to measure the number of impressions currently not recovered or not considered for examination, and to assess the usefulness of these impressions in terms of the number of additional detections that would result from their examination.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Program, Eberly College of Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States. Cedric.Neumann@me.com
authors.forename: Cedric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mateos-Garcia
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Langenburg
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kostroski
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Skerrett
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koolen
mesh_terms: D003415:Crime; D003878:Dermatoglyphics / Q000145:classification*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity