CLPEX Chat Board

Regarding Ed german's site (http://www.onin.com/fp/) that illustrates the draft for Major Case Prints Card.

Too me, it gives the appearance that it dosen't cover all of the areas that the conventional "MCP" cards cover, or allows the areas that can be added (lateral thear, lateral hypothenar and thumb/index interdigital).

The majority of personnel who collect fingerprints are arresting officer/deputy or detention officer who (in my experience) have not grasp that fingerprints (ten-prints) are for arrest records and much less that MCPs are for examinations. I don't know very many LPEs or CSTs who are responsible for collecting 10-print or MCPs, on a routine arrest basis, unless they are collecting them of a court order for biometric or biological identification.

In conclusion, the proposed MCP card appears to be more difficult for the detention officer and arresting officer/deputy to collect, less information area, and on that, it has less potential of being completed on routine bookings and arrests.

Lloyd,

The major case print card that appears on Ed's site is the one recommended by SWGFAST to NIST in support of a full "set" of cards that have the capability of representing all areas on the fingers, palms, and joints. The standard fingerprint cards covers the distal phalange. The standard palm print card covers each palm print and writer's palm, and it also has a blank area for a "web" print or "grip" impression, if desired. The card on Ed's site allows for the rolled thenar and of course the complete joint fingerprints and tip fingerprints. Taken together, all 3 cards should allow for all detail on the palmar surface to be recorded. Additionally, there is overlap on each card to "tie" them all together to the same person. Taken together, these cards offer the "major case" or "full set" of impressions for the latent print examiner.

-Kasey

One might ask, "Why do we need a new major case print format? And why should we bother discussing a new name for them?"

The answers are two part: 1) Livescan collection of the prints on a standard card format driven by computer prompting during bookin procedure, and 2) AFIS search capability in the very near future as standard feature on all AFIS systems.

If you're taking inked prints, of course, you are free to use any format you want, just as you always have. But there needs to be uniformity established now for livescan and AFIS before the vendors all take off irrevocably in different directions.