title: A Modified Electrostatic Adsorption Apparatus for Latent Fingerprint Development on Unfired Cartridge Cases.
abstract: Visualization of latent fingerprints on metallic surfaces by the method of applying electrostatic charging and adsorption is considered as a promising chemical-free method, which has the merit of nondestruction, and is considered to be effective for some difficult situations such as aged fingerprint deposits or those exposed to environmental extremes. In fact, a portable electrostatic generator can be easily accessible in a local forensic technology laboratory, which is already widely used in the visualization of footwear impressions. In this study, a modified version of this electrostatic apparatus is proposed for latent fingerprint development and has shown great potential in visualizing fingerprints on metallic surfaces such as cartridge cases. Results indicate that this experimental arrangement can successfully develop aged latent fingerprints on metal surfaces, and we demonstrate its effectiveness compared with existing conventional fingerprint recovery methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, 310053, China.|Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Forensic Science and Technology Application Research, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
authors.forename: Jingyang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Public Security Bureau-Jiangbei Branch, Ningbo, 315000, China.
authors.forename: Ziyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, 310053, China.|Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Forensic Science and Technology Application Research, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, George Porter Building, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, U.K.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bond
keywords: cartridge; enhancement; forensic science; latent fingerprint; metal surface; print visualization