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LPE T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST  
I have decided to offer for sale a different CLPEX t-shirt every year, and I want subscribers of the Detail to be the designers.  I would also like you to vote on the best slogans and come up with the shirt YOU would like to purchase!  I am doing this partly to spread the word about the website at conferences and such (by you wearing your shirt) and also to raise funds to improve service on the website.  SO... this week, put your thinking caps on and come up with some awesome, catchy, funny (but appropriate), and most of all... LATENT PRINT RELATED t-shirt text, and next week I will report the results and offer a survey for YOU to pick your favorite!  The winner of this contest will get a year's free subscription to the Detail!  (ha ha) and two free t-shirts.  So what are you waiting for?  E-mail me your suggestions!!  kaseywertheim@aol.com 

Minimum Qualifications

Throughout history, certain professions have undergone change.  Abraham Lincoln became an attorney by apprenticeship, as had the person who agreed to teach him, and Lincoln’s reputation as a trial lawyer indicates he became a skilled individual who represented his clients well.  As the law became increasingly complex and specialized, the apprentice method slowly gave way to requirements of formal education, bar examinations, licensing and regulations.  This was not an easy transition, for there were arguments that additional qualification would severely limit the candidate pool and prohibit future Lincolns from occurring.  Perhaps these nay Sayers were right and someone of potential was denied the right to practice, but there is no shortage of good lawyers, oxymoron aside.

A study of fingerprint history reveals that contemporary examiners function in an environment that few of the pioneers would have imagined.  In the beginning, one person might easily do all identification functions – crime scene, latent print visualization, fingerprint recording, classification, analysis, comparison, evaluation and might even assist in the arrest.  Evidence potential was limited and the techniques were rather easy to master.  Instances in which the individualization of a crime scene latent occurred were generally accepted in a court of law without challenge.  One had only to establish a modicum of training plus some experience to be accepted as an expert.

Minimum qualifications to conduct examinations and testify in a court of law are beginning to change.  Fingerprint identification is in a transition period that began over two decades ago, but one that has gained momentum due to the Daubert criteria, especially as interpreted by Judge Pollak.  The demands of evidence examination have increased considerably during this time, requirements which have vastly enlarged evidence potential and are largely based upon chemical procedures.  Debates may continue as to whether latent print individualization methodology is a science or not, but the entire spectrum of examiner duties has become undeniably scientific.  The movement of latent print examination is toward the laboratory, not away, and this trend has prompted a review of minimum qualifications for the examiner.

For nearly 20 years, I have trained new hires in the area of latent print examination, and the total number of students I have taught approaches 100.  All possessed a Bachelor’s degree, and for the past five years, that degree had to be in a “hard” science.  Previously, we did allow degrees in related fields but did require a minimum number of hours in chemistry or biology.  While this restriction may have denied someone who would have done well from entering our program, this is a matter of conjecture, not fact.  What I have observed is that only one person with a BS in science has failed to meet the standards of the program.  Seven others failed to complete training; these individuals had a Bachelor’s, but not in science.

My experience with a rather large sampling has indicated distinct advantages for the trainer and the employing agency to require formal science education in regards to essential elements of examination duties.  While not a full list by any means, these advantages of a degree in science include the following:
 

·        Trainees possess a comprehension of the scientific method;

·        Trainees easily develop an acceptance of biological uniqueness as a result of external stresses in fetal development;

·        Trainees understand the differentiation between statistical modeling and biological uniqueness;

·        Trainees are already familiar with scientific protocols;

·        Trainees are more familiar with other scientific disciplines;

·        Trainees are accustomed to proper analytical methods and documentation;

·        Trainees display a better understanding of logics;

·        Trainees generally possess an improved mental discipline;

·        Trainees exhibit a greater potential related to future challenges of science versus non-science.
 

As in any endeavor, exceptions may occur and anecdotal examples of success without these minimum requirements abound.  Nevertheless, in the practical world of employment and training practices, any employer is wise to adhere to “best possible” scenarios.  Providing full training is expensive and adhering to proved minimum requirements minimizes loss.  The advantages of establishing minimum requirements that include a degree in science have been demonstrated in today’s world, and these far exceed the disadvantages based upon the speculation that exceptions would do just as well.  As far as tomorrow’s world is concerned, those with a degree in science who are hired and trained now can meet the challenges better prepared.