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Job Description
The identification of people and / or criminals through the examination, classification, comparison and
searching of fingerprints is the job of the Fingerprint Classifier, also known as Fingerprint Examiner,
Fingerprint Expert, Identification Specialist / Technician, Forensic Specialist / Technician, Latent
Fingerprint Analyst, or its equivalent.
The one important discipline within fingerprint forensic science is identification. Fingerprint Classifiers
catalog and compare fingerprints of suspected criminals with records to determine if the people who left the
fingerprints at the scene of a crime were involved in previous crimes.
They often try to match the fingerprints of unknown persons with fingerprint records to establish their identity.
They work in laboratories and offices, as well as travel to other areas such as crime scenes. Fingerprint
classifiers compare new prints against those found after the commission of similar crimes. The classifier
documents this information and transfers it to the main record-keeping system, often a large mainframe
computer system.
The examination and classification of fingerprint patterns requires close attention and precision. When
using the automated process, most of the work is done sitting at a computer. Manual searches are
conducted with the aid of a fingerprint magnifying glass. Fingerprint Classifiers who work in the field must
be able to walk, bend, and stoop at a variety of crime.
Fingerprint classification begins with determining the various types of fingerprint patterns. Identification
requires manually classifying and searching hundreds of thousand of fingerprint cards to find fingerprints
matching those on the card or on the computer image being searched.
Computer technology has been applied to the science of fingerprints which requires Fingerprint Classifiers
to access automated files containing both demographic (age, sex, race, etc,) as well as images of
fingerprint patterns. The Fingerprint Classifier codes the fingerprint card, loads it into an image scanner,
and waits for the results.
Local and state agencies have access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which is a
computerized information system established by the FBI as a service to all law enforcement agencies local,
state, and Federal. The fingerprints of millions of subjects are maintained by the FBI.
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