What does the Fingerprint Examiner see?
When the Fingerprint Examiner peers through their magnifying glass to examine a recording of the patterns of skin, known as friction ridge skin, which is found on every human's hands and feet, what are they looking for? What makes that skin so unique that it's possible to identify an individual based only upon the details found within a small portion of that skin?
Contained within the structure of the skin, which covers the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, are five ridge formations known generally as level 2 details (or characteristics). These formations are: ending ridge, short ridge (sometimes called an island), bifurcation (or a ridge that starts as one and divides into two ridges), an enclosure (a ridge that divides into two than then comes back together again after a short distance) and a dot (a ridge that is as long as it is wide). The illustration to the right shows three of the five level 2 friction ridge skin characteristics.
Level 3 details are found within the structure of the ridges themselves. The most common are the small circles that mark the location of sweat pores. The shape of the ridges are also unique and can be used to support a conclusion of identity as well as help to exclude identity.
The mere existence of level 2 characteristics does not determine identity. Everyone has some or all of these level 2 characteristics spread across the structure of their friction ridge skin. It is the arrangement of these details that is unique.
We will look at the identification process in more detail on the next page.
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