Wow. Fingerprint fabrication by law enforcement officers is more common than I thought

[Theo Haffey]

Pat Wertheim is described here www.nwlean.net/fprints/w.htm as "one of the most prominent and influential latent print examiners in the latent print community,"

Here's what Wertheim has said about fingerprint fabrication:

Many hundreds or even thousands of cases of fabrication of fingerprint evidence have come to light in the century since fingerprints were first used by police as a means of identification. One can only guess how many fabrications have been committed in which defendants have been convicted or pled guilty. These cases of fabrication of latent fingerprint evidence will never be discovered.

http://www.nacdl.org/public.nsf/0/3aa455aa9ca9fe988525754b0077e01e?OpenDocument



In this other link I give you below he described the types of methods used in fabricating fingerprints: http://www.iowaiai.org/latent_fingerprint_fabrication.html

There are three common methods used by dishonest police employee to fabricate latent print evidence: 1) a lift from an inked print. 2) a mislabeled lift, 3) a staged photograph.2 One thing these fabricated latents frequently have in common is that they are "perfect" prints. In other words, a fabricator usually prepares a print so clear nobody could fail to see the identification. I addition to that, each of the three methods leaves tale clues, to a greater or lesser degree.

Consider the lift from an inked print. Clues to this fabrication are numerous. Ink is a different shade of black than fingerprint powder. Lifted inked prints are usually the fully rolled prints, a phenomenon virtually impossible in real latent print work. Lifts from inked prints usually include fibers and microscopic fiber marks.

Next, consider mislabeled lifts. these are often the hardest of the fabrications to detect. The most reliable methods of detection is by a close inspection of background noise. Each type of surface leaves a trademark background noise, and frequently, fabricators fail to take this into account. A mislabeled latent may also reflect an orientation inconsistent with normal handling. However, a clever fabricator may be able to make a mislabeled latent match expectations of genuineness to such a high degree that it would be virtually undetectable.

The staged photograph is the third type of fabrication. These photographs are usually taken slightly out of focus in an attempt to hide details which would disclose the fabrication. Or, such a photograph may be over or under-exposed. Strange lines or shadows may be present. The photographs may also contain stray images not expected on the surface from which the latent purportedly came, or background noise may not be consistent with the surface claimed.

[Poll_Blind]

1. That is an A-1, top-notch read! Absolutely top-notch!

:thumbsup:

PB

[Theo Haffey]

2. And it's not just low-level cops

New York Times, July 30, 1993: "Police Investigation Supervisor Admits Faking Fingerprints"

"In a widening scandal that has rocked the New York State Police, a lieutenant who supervised criminal investigations in seven upstate counties admitted yesterday that he had faked fingerprint evidence in three cases.

The lieutenant, Craig D. Harvey, also said in court in Delhi, N.Y., that he had been assisted in fabricating evidence by another lieutenant, Patrick O'Hara, who works out of state police headquarters in Albany supervising drug and organized-crime investigations.

Mr. who pleaded guilty yesterday in one case, was immediately dismissed from the force, and Lieutenant O'Hara, who has not been charged, was suspended without pay for 30 days pending an inquiry. Two other troopers had previously pleaded guilty in the scandal."

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/30/nyregion/police-investigation-supervisor-admits-faking-fingerprints.html

[Hawkowl]

3. Cops lie

Judges are corrupt. We have no justice system. We have a legal system designed to enrich the rich and keep the black man in jail.

[bananas]

4. They do it with DNA evidence, too. nt