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T H E
D E T A I L
Monday, May 20, 2002
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BREAKING NEWz you can
UzE...
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New Fingerprint Development Technique
-The Hindu,
India, 5-20-02
"The new
method, the only one of its kind in the world, of detecting fingerprints,
which utilises novel spray formulations based on dyes, is cost-effective and
non-hazardous,"... and "fixes the calcium ions present in the sweat,
which has not been resorted to until now." (I have already e-mailed
asking for more information on this technique... I'll deliver in a future Detail
if made available)
Fingerprints
are surprisingly easy to fake - IRNA
Iran - London, May 18, IRNA -- Fake fingers made out of common
household ingredients can fool security systems that use fingerprints to
identify people. The artificial fingers and prints were created with gelatine by
Japanese researchers who used the digits to trick biometric systems into
thinking they were seeing the real thing.
ALONG THE SAME LINES....
Japanese
researcher gums up biometrics scanners - IT
World - 17 May 2002
"The
results are enough to scrap the systems completely, and to send the various
fingerprint biometric companies packing. Impressive is an understatement,"
Schneier wrote.
'Jello'
threat sets security a-wobble - ZDNET - 16
May 2002
... far more threatening, because it uses latent fingerprints
left by a person on ... with
digital photography tools, and then print out the image onto a transparent ...
Gummi
bears defeat fingerprint sensors - The
Register, UK - 16 May 2002
... five. Flushed with his success, he took latent fingerprints from a glass,
which
he enhanced ... made a gelatine finger using the print on the PCB, using the
same ....
(The press sure had fun with this topic, didn't they!!!) Anyone want to do
a research project for the Detail regarding fingerprint forgery using gelatin?
It shouldn't be too hard... and it could be tasty!! :)
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Good morning via the "Detail," a weekly e-mail newsletter that
greets latent print examiners around the globe every Monday morning. The purpose of the Detail is to help keep you
informed of the current state of affairs in the latent print community, to
provide an avenue to circulate original fingerprint-related articles, and to
announce important events as they happen in our field.
Last week, we went over
the SWGFAST guidelines for minimum LPE qualifications and looked at educational
requirements. If you need to catch
up on this or other past Details, they are
available on the clpex.com Detail Archives page. This week
we
are finishing up our T-shirt design contest by voting on your favorite!
But first, let's get an update from Pat Wertheim on recent events in Scotland...
************************************
Dear friends,
Many of you returned the consent forms and added your names to the petition to
attempt and influence the Scottish Parliament to confront the SCRO over the
erroneous identifications in the McKie and Asbury cases. Through the efforts of
Mike Russell, Member of Scottish Parliament, the topic had been scheduled for
debate last Wednesday. As many of you have no doubt heard, the Scottish Minister
of Justice on Tuesday canceled the debate. Thus, no progress has been made and
things stand as they were. The four "experts" who made the erroneous
identifications in both the McKie and Asbury cases are back on the job, no
effort has been made to set things right with Shirley McKie, and the SCRO has
gotten away with their ludicrous assertion that fingerprint identification is
merely a matter of opinion and different experts are entitled to different
opinions as to an identification.
"The Scotsman," Scotland's most respected broadsheet (not a tabloid
newspaper), has remained largely silent on this issue. However, in a strongly
worded editorial the day after the canceled debate should have occurred, they
came down very harshly on the Scottish Government for ignoring the problem:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=529172002
"The Scotsman" has lent its influence in support of confronting the
SCRO, which I view as a major milestone. But the Scottish Parliament itself is
still ignoring the problem.
The list of fingerprint examiners signing the petition, expressing opposition to
the SCRO's position, and calling for things to be set right remains open. So if
you have not yet added your name, please consider doing so. If the SCRO's
position becomes policy in Scotland, its effect will quickly spread throughout
the UK. And if you think it will stop there, think again. In Judge Pollak's
recent Daubert decision reversing himself and allowing fingerprint testimony in
his US Federal Court, he cited extensively from testimony that had occurred only
the day before his decision -- testimony in the UK. What if Judge Pollak had
instead found the SCRO's position reflected in testimony in the UK?
You can find the images in both the McKie and the Asbury case at http://www.onin.com/fp
and you can find information there and at http://www.clpex.com/McKie.htm on how to add your name
to the petition. Please give this issue some thought, as this is taking on the
proportions of being the most hotly debated situation ever to occur in the
history of fingerprints. Your support for our science is needed.
Sincerely,
Pat A. Wertheim
***********************************************
Last night, BBC's version of U.S.
"60
Minutes" (Panorama) aired another show on the Alan McNamara case.
Again, an independent expert has reached the same conclusion as reached before:
the lift bearing McNamara's print could NOT have come from the item the Greater
Manchester Police claim it was lifted from. There are images of the actual
lift in question in the broadcast below; I encourage you to watch the program
and form your own opinion. More details on this case will be forthcoming
after McNamara's appeal is concluded. For now, McNamara case information
can be found at the Panorama site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/newsid_1426000/1426720.stm
The new Panorama program is
approximately an hour in length, and may be accessed at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/progs/panorama/latest.ram
RealPlayer or MediaPlayer may be needed to view the
video. If for some reason the link does not seem to work, you might try going
the McNamara page of Panorama's website at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/1983567.stm
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T-SHIRT CONTEST
Here are the results to vote on...
- When you need a lift, call a Latent Print Examiner
Not enough Detail? Check out CLPEX.com... It's all here!!
CLPEX.com - Taking Detail to the next level
Nothing is certain but Death, Taxes, and FINGERPRINTS
Latent Print Examiners DO IT with great DETAIL
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- Arches, Loops, and Whorls - OH MY!
Latent Print Examiners DO IT at all 3 levels
Leapin' Loops, Printman... it's the evil Dr. Daubert. Get out
your trusty spray can of Mitchell!!
(fingerprint with a vodka bottle shaped core) :ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY
Latent Print Examiners DO IT with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY
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- (fingerprint / magnifyer:) NO CLUES, YOU LOOSE
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For informal banter about this week's topic, you may visit the CLPEX
chat
board (http://www.clpex.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=2)
And as usual, the onin.com forum (http://onin.com/fp/wwwbd/)
is available for more formal discussion.
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UPDATES on
CLPEX.com this week...
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Created the t-shirt survey form
Created a McKie page: http://www.clpex.com/McKie.htm
that will have updates, news (soon), and links to most known information
regarding this case / situation
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Feel free to pass the link to The Detail along to other examiners. This is a
free service FOR latent print examiners, BY latent print examiners. There are no
copyrights on The Detail, and the website is open for all to visit.
If you have not yet signed up to receive the
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the list now so you don't miss out!
Until next Monday morning, don't work too hard or too little.
Have a GREAT week!
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