Abstract

Introduction More than a century has passed since Alphonse Bertillon first conceived and then industriously practiced the idea of using body measurements for solving crimes [1]. Just as his idea was gaining popularity, it faded into relative obscurity by a far more significant and practical discovery of the uniqueness of the human fingerprints 1 . Soon after this discovery, many major law enforcement departments embraced the idea of first "booking" the fingerprints of criminals, so that their records are readily available and later using leftover fingerprint smudges (latents), the identity of criminals can be determined. These agencies sponsored a rigorous study of fingerprints, developed scientific 1 In 1893, the Home Ministry Office, UK, accepted that no two individuals have the same fingerprints. 1 methods for visual matching of fingerprints and strong programs/cultures for training fingerprint experts, and applied the art

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