Independent Fingerprint Technology Evaluation Reveals Operational Benefits of the RECOVER^® LFT Technique

Launched late last year, RECOVER^® is a unique instrument capable of revealing “previously difficult or impossible” fingerprints on metallic surfaces using the patented LFT process.

Now, as the subject of an independent comparative evaluation conducted by an accredited UK government laboratory, the LFT process has been shown to outperform other techniques, including VMD and cyanoacrylate fuming, on a wide variety of metallic evidence types.

Superior Technology for a wide range of applications

A peer-reviewed paper published in the Science & Justice journal by representatives of the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST), Loughborough University, Foster+Freeman Ltd., and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), compares the LFT technique against other leading processes for the visualisation of fingerprints on metals exposed to a range of environments.

Notably, the study reveals LFT to be the superior process for the development of prints on several significant evidence types that have been:

• Exposed to high temperatures (consistent with fired bullet casings)
• Purposely washed clean in a bid to erase evidence
• Submerged in a liquid, for example, artefacts that may have been discarded in a body of water

View the Published Paper Online

Published Paper: Selected Highlights

The Published paper is now available to view online, PDF copies may be requested from Foster + Freeman.

The full (38-page) paper describes in great detail the many benefits of the RECOVER and the LFT process, highlights of which can be found below:

Comparison

The paper evaluates the effectiveness of the LFT process on a range of operationally significant metal surfaces, with performance compared against existing processes including VMD, Superglue, Gun Blueing, and Powder Suspensions.

Sensitivity

In a 36-mark depletion test, LFT continued to develop marks of identifiable quality from the first to the 36th mark, and developed the highest combined totals of all processes graded. 3rd level ridge detail was developed across the depletion series.

Effects of Cleaning

The LFT process is the only technique that developed potentially identifiable marks on every metal type, for almost every ageing period tested. On copper-based alloys, the effectiveness of the RECOVER LFT process appears to increase the longer that the mark remains on the surface. On stainless steel, LFT appears considerably more effective than other processes.

Conclusions

The LFT process has been found to be an effective process for the visualisation of fingermarks on the range of metal surfaces studied. Of the processes investigated in this comparison, LFT was the most consistent in visualising marks across the range of exposure conditions investigated

Find out more about RECOVER Latent Fingerprint Technology

RECOVER fingerprint development technology

Fingerprint Detection and Enhancement products

Science Direct: Science & Justice journal

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