CLPEX Chat Board

Our agency recently came across a generous grant which will be utilized towards buying some new equipment for our laboratory. I am looking to the community for any suggestions on products you are currently using successfully in the area of latent prints from field, to lab and comparison work. This is a rare opportunity for us. I strongly wish to consult with those who have had experience (good or bad) with the crime-fighting equipment that's out there, in an effort to maximize our funds to their full potential. We are presently considering implementing RUVIS technology. Your feedback and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Our agency purchased a RUVIS type system from an East coast distributor at a discount to try to gain a toehold in the Western states. Initially, we were very excited. But then reality set in: we realized that unlike the demonstrations we had seen, the unit was very difficult to use due to it's completely manual focusing mechanism. In fact, it turned out to be quicker to use regular fingerprint powder and a flashlight for sidelighting to process than to try to get the system set up and actually working.

Even after we sent a criminalist to the factory training to become a system instructor, we were unable to get it to work as advertised and ended up sending it back at a loss - never a very nice thing to report to taxpayers.

My suggestion would be to look at other technology for your grant!

Good luck!

Hello from across the bay! I am very jealous of your grant, I must say. If the money is appropriated for any applicable forensic technologies, I would highly suggest investing in Ultralite ALS packs for your techs. Every time I use one, I am impressed. I have used them at crime scenes, as well as in the lab and with DNA cold case examinations. They are light, portable, easy to use and versatile. Good luck!

My lab obtained a RUVIS setup as part of a grant and I attended the training session and demo. The instrument has the potential to show lipid residues by reflection. As mentioned above, often an oblique light (flashlight) and/or powder will do as well on smooth, reflective surfaces. The RUVIS can show residue on textured surfaces that would otherwise be missed by reflected visible light, but those latent prints are not often of sufficient quality to be of value.

It is a bit cumbersome to set up for photography (try messing around with a tripod and camera to photograph images on a wall).

So, IMHO, the plus side:
1) Independent of ambient lighting conditions
2) Works on textured surfaces
3) Allows hand held shots of luminol development

Minus:
1) Very expensive
2) Minimally useful in the lab where other options are available

If you have the money available and spend a lot of time in the field at crime scenes, it can be helpful. It is not an adequate replacement for conventional searching and processing techniques.