The goal of this study was to determine if environmental factors impact the quality of detail in latent prints on non-porous and porous surfaces. Specifically, this study focused on how humidity impacts latent print processing, development, and analysis on tile and paper. Humidity was tested at 30%, 50%, 90% and temperature was maintained between 70 -74 degrees Fahrenheit. Prints were lifted at 1 week time intervals over the course of 3 months. An edited minutiae count generated from AFIS was used to determine what category each print fell under: low quality (0-6 minutiae), moderate quality (7-12 minutiae), or high quality (13 and above minutiae). Multiple statistical tests were performed to determine statistical significance between different variables. Results indicated that prints recovered on white tile with black powder and prints recovered on paper with ninhydrin decrease in quality with increased levels of humidity and also decrease over time at set humidities.
Madison Frese – Summer 2023
