IAFIS
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. IAFIS was the FBI’s first fully automated
AFIS computer database (July 1999-Sept. 2014). IAFIS was searchable by other law
enforcement agencies through the Universal Latent Workstation (ULW) and replaced by a state of
the art computer system named Next Generation Identification (NGI).
IAFS
International Association of Forensic Sciences.
IAI
International Association for Identification.
The IAI was founded by Harry Caldwell in 1915 in Oakland, California as the “International
Association for Criminal Identification”. The name was changed in 1918 to reflect the noncriminal
work done by the identification bureaus. The IAI has put out many publications since its inception
including the ‘International Identification Outlook’, ‘Sparks from the Anvil’, ‘Identification News’
and the ‘Journal of Forensic Identification’.
IAI Resolutions
Resolution 1973 – Minimum Number of Characteristics (revised in 2009)
In 1973, The IAI Standardization Committee released the results of a three-year study. They
recommended and adopted that “no valid basis exists at this time for requiring that a pre-
determined minimum number of friction ridge characteristics must be present in two impressions
in order to establish positive identification.” This was based on the fact that each print has a
unique set of circumstances.
http://www.latent-prints.com/iai_standardization_committee.htm 03-21-2003
Resolution 1979 VII (revised in 1980, rescinded in 2010)
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that any member, officer or certified latent print examiner who
provides oral or written reports, or gives testimony of possible, probable or likely friction ridge
identification shall be deemed to be engaged in conduct unbecoming such member, officer or
certified latent print examiner as described in Article XVII, Section 5, of the constitution of the
International Association for Identification, and charges may be brought under such conditions set
forth in Article XVI, Section 5, of the constitution. If such member be a certified latent print
examiner, his conduct and status shall be reconsidered by the Latent Print Certification Board…”
www.clpex.com detail 78 Feb.3 2003
Resolution, 1980-V, (the amended version of Resolution VII, 1979, rescinded in 2010)
“Now therefore be it resolved that any member, officer or certified latent print examiner who
initiates or volunteers oral or written reports or testimony of possible, probable or likely friction
ridge identification, or who, when required in a judicial proceeding to provide such reports or
testimony, does not qualify it with a statement that the print in question could be that of someone
else, shall be deemed to be engaged in conduct unbecoming such member,.….”
http://www.latent-prints.com/realizing_the_full_value_of_late.htm
Resolution 2009-10
RESOLVED, that the International Association for Identification recognizes that Tenprint
Identification (individualization) and Latent Print Identification (individualization) utilize the same
scientific methodology when practiced by a person trained to competency.
Resolution 2009-18, the amended version of the 1973 Resolution
RESOLVED, the official position of the I.A.I., effective August 21, 2009, is as follows:
“There currently exists no scientific basis for requiring a minimum amount of corresponding
friction ridge detail information between two impressions to arrive at an opinion of single source
attribution.”
Resolution 2010-18, July 16, 2010 (rescinded in Aug 2016)
RESOLVED that, based upon the results of a multi-year study by the Standardization II Review
Committee, the IAI hereby recognizes the following:
7. The use of mathematically based models to assess the associative value of the evidence
may provide a scientifically sound basis for supporting the examiner’s opinion. Examiners
shall only use mathematically based models that have been accepted as valid by the IAI
in partnership with the relevant scientific community and in which they have been trained
to competency.
8. Mathematically based models may not be used as the sole determinant when concluding
that friction ridge impressions share a common source. The use of mathematically based
models does not relieve the examiner of responsibility for their expert opinion.
Due in part to the aforementioned statements recognized by the IAI, Therefore, be it further
RESOLVED, that Resolution 1979-7 and Resolution 1980-5 are hereby rescinded.
IDD
Immigration Delay Disease.
IEEGFI I and IEEGFI II
The Interpol European Expert Group on Fingerprint Identification. The IEEGFI I was adopted by
the 29th European Regional Conference, held in Reykjavik, Iceland. The IEEGFI II was formed in
May 2000 and was a progression of the IEEGFI II. The goals of this group are ‘To explore, define
and establish common terminology concerning the content of the fingerprint identification process
and the general application of this process to the detection, validation and comparison of ridge
detail, so as to provide basis for communication and promote uniformity’ and ‘To define and
establish recognised principles concerning the application of this process so that it can be
standardised, controlled and made objective. This may cover aspects such as definitions, norms,
standards, rules, guidelines and rules of thumb’.
http://www.interpol.int/Public/Forensic/fingerprints/WorkingParties/IEEGFI2/default.asp#4
INC
The common abbreviation for an ‘inconclusive’ determination, meaning that a conclusive
determination could not be arrived at.
INC is also used to indicate ‘incomplete’, meaning that a full comparison could not be completed.
ISO
International Organization for Standardization.
ISO 17020
The International Organization for Standardization standards for organizations performing
inspections.
ISO 17025
The International Organization for Standardization standards for organizations performing testing
and calibration.
Icnofalangometric or Icnofalangometria
The original name of the classification system developed by Juan Vucetich. This name was later
changed to ‘Dactiloscopico’ or ‘Dactiloscopy’.
Identakey
A system of classification developed in the 1930’s by G. Tyler Mairs. The aim of this
classification system was to unite the morphology described by Wilder and Whipple and judicial
identification. Fingerprints were broken down into classes, families, orders, genus, species and
subspecies. This system never caught on.
Suspect Identities, Simon A. Cole 2001 Harvard University Press
Identification
Establishing an association with a group or individual item. An item can be identified AS
something (e.g., fingerprint, palmprint, loop, whorl, etc.) or identified as COMING FROM an item
(i.e., source identification).
The act or process of identifying; prove to be the same.
Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis, David R. Ashbaugh 1999 CRC Press
See individualization.
In some forensic disciplines, this term denotes the similarity of class characteristics.
SWGFAST, Standard Terminology of Friction Ridge Examination 3-23-11 ver. 3.0
Identification News
A magazine produced by the IAI and published from 1951-1987. In 2008, the IAI began
publishing Identification News again starting with Vol. 38 No.1.
Ideology
A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ideology 02-27-03
Image Reversal
An Image Reversal is when the friction ridges in a latent print are reversed from the standard
direction. This typically occurs in unintentional transferred prints and on latents lifted with rubber
lifters.
Imbrication
The leaning of ridges in the same direction due to pressure while depositing a fingerprint image.
Immigration Delay Disease (IDD)
Immigration Delay Disease was named in 2011 by Burger et al to describe the rare inherited
congenital absence of fingerprints (adermatoglyphia) causing possible patient difficulty when
travelling to those countries for which personal identification by fingerprinting is required.
However, there are also various acquired disorders which may, at times, affect the fingers and
cause fingerprint appearance to alter and thus result in immigration delay. Such disorders include
dry or atrophic skin, ageing, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, contact dermatitis, systemic lupus
erythematosus and erythroderma.
References:
Burger B Fuchs D Sprecher E Itin P
The immigration delay disease. Adermatoglyphia- inherited absence of epidermal ridges
J Am Acad Dermatol 2011; 64: 974-80
Verbov J
Abnormal fingerprints and immigration delay disease
Clin Exp Dermatol 2012; 37:195-6
Impartial
Having no preference.
Impressed Print
See Plastic Print.
Impression
An imprint left on a surface.
A latent print with insufficient information to establish whether the image originated from a
finger, toe, palm or foot.
Friction ridge detail deposited on a surface.
SWGFAST, Standard Terminology of Friction Ridge Examination 3-23-11 ver. 3.0
Inappropriate Decision
An unacceptable result based on human judgment and/or personal criterion. Inappropriate
decisions are errors in decision making, not errors in application.
See Error.
Incipient
Beginning; coming into existence; immature.
Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis, David R. Ashbaugh 1999 CRC Press
Beginning to exist or appear.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=incipient 05-13-03
Incipient Ridge
An incipient ridge is an immature friction ridge. There are two kinds of ridges both described by
the word incipient.
1) An ‘incipient ridge’ may describe a ridge that is thinner and shallower than the surrounding
ridges. These incipient ridges may have immature pores associated with them. They may not
appear in all representations but are permanent and repeatable friction ridge characteristics.
(Ashbaugh, 1999)
2) An ‘incipient ridge’ may describe a ridge that is thinner and shallower than the surrounding
ridges. These ridges do not have pores associated with them. Generally, they are not visible the
first few years of life. They do not appear in all representations, but once visible they are
permanent and repeatable. They may be considered occasional print features.
Also known as a nascent ridge, a rudimentary ridge or a subsidiary ridge.
A friction ridge not fully developed that may appear shorter and thinner than fully developed
friction ridges.
SWGFAST, Standard Terminology of Friction Ridge Examination 3-23-11 ver. 3.0
Inclusion
A latent image concurs with the exemplar but there is not enough to individualize.
Incomplete
Stating that a final conclusion was not arrived at due to the need for more data (clearer images of
unknown impressions or additional known exemplars) or the need for additional time to complete
a comparison.
Inconclusive
The determination by an examiner that there is neither sufficient agreement to individualize, nor
sufficient disagreement to exclude.
SWGFAST, Standard Terminology of Friction Ridge Examination 3-23-11 ver. 3.0
1, 2-Indanedione (pronounced in-dane-die-on)
Compound that reacts with the amino acids present in print residue, producing a fluorescent
product when exposed to excitation wavelengths of 352-591 nm.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
A chemical process used to find latent prints on porous items. The chemical reacts with the
amino acids in fingerprint residue and fluoresces under certain wavelengths. Optimal viewing is
done at 515nm-570nm with orange or red goggles. This chemical process is an alternative to
DFO reportedly resulting in similar quality prints at a lower cost and easier to prepare.
Research by Jon Stimac of the Oregon State Police showed that the HFE-7100 formulation
published by Wiesner (JFS 2001) can be used on thermal papers.
http://www.bvda.com/EN/prdctinf/en_ind_1.html 06-25-2003
The use of 1, 2-Indanedione for visualizing latent fingerprints on porous items was discovered by
Professor Madeleine Joullié and her graduate students, Drs. Diane Hauze and Olga Petrovskaia,
from the University of Pennsylvania.
Independent
Free from external influence, guidance, control, or constraint.
Individual Characteristics
Individual characteristics are those features that separate one item from another, as opposed to
class characteristics. When referring to fingerprints, level 2 and level 3 details are considered to
be individual characteristics.
Individualization
A deduction or inference by a practitioner that two impressions originated from the same source.
The subjective probability of an alternative conclusion being possible is so remote that it can be
eliminated as being plausible.
The state of being individualized.
Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis, David R. Ashbaugh 1999 CRC Press
The determination by an examiner that there is sufficient quality and quantity of detail in
agreement to conclude that two friction ridge impressions originated from the same source.
SWGFAST, Standard Terminology of Friction Ridge Examination 3-23-11 ver. 3.0
Individualize
Differentiate from other individuals; distinctive.
Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis, David R. Ashbaugh 1999 CRC Press
Inductive Reasoning
Reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=inductive%20reasoning 02-27-03
Inference
Logic.
a. the process of deriving the strict logical consequences of assumed premises.
b. the process of arriving at some conclusion that, though it is not logically derivable from the
assumed premises, possesses some degree of probability relative to the premises.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Inference (accessed: December 01, 2013).
A conclusion arrived at by the strict use of data, reasoning and logical assumptions.
Infrared
Light wavelengths longer than the visible spectrum, 700- 1,000,000 nm.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Inherent Luminescence
Luminescence resulting from selected wavelength illumination without chemical treatment.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Inked Print (Finger, Palm, Foot)
See Exemplar.
See Known Print.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Inner Terminus
See Core.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Institute of Applied Science
The IAS was founded in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois as “Evans University” by Captain William K.
Evans, of the United States Military Intelligence Agency, and T. G. Cooke. One year after it was
established Captain Evans was recalled to military service for World War I and severed his
connections with the school. The name was changed to “The University of Applied Science”.
The name changed again in 1929 to “The Institute of Applied Science”. The IAS started as a
correspondence school specializing in all aspects of identification work. In 1919, they began
publishing a monthly newsletter called “Finger Print Magazine” which was later changed to
“Finger Print and Identification Magazine”. In 1952, T.G. Cooke died and his sons T. Dickerson
Cooke and Donald Cooke took over running the institution. They retired in 1975, selling the IAS
to Carreerco which moved the company to Syracuse, New York. There the school was given the
name of “The American Institute of Applied Science, Inc.” Finger Print and Identification
Magazine was published until 1988. In November of 1991, The American Institute of Applied
Science, Inc. was acquired by Sirchie Finger Print Laboratories, Inc. and moved to its present
location in Youngsville, North Carolina. Effective January 15, 2008, Sirchie Acquisition Company,
LLC, dba Sirchie Finger Print Laboratories acquired substantially all assets, ongoing business,
contract rights, trade names and employee base of Sirchie Finger Print Laboratories, Inc.,
Premier Crown Corp., and The American Institute of Applied Science, Inc.”
Finger Print and Identification Magazine Oct. 1938
Journal of Forensic Identification 40 (1) 1994
Sirchie Acquisition Company
Inter
Between different sources. Inter-source would be looking at or comparing the variance between
different sources.
See Intra-.
Interdigital
Palmar area below the fingers and above the thenar and hypothenar areas.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Between the digits; an area at the base of the digits.
Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis, David R. Ashbaugh 1999 CRC Press
In some countries, such as Portugal, this area of the palm is known as the superior region instead
of the interdigital region.
Interdigital Delta’s
The deltas in the interdigital region of the palm have been referred to as the clean delta, the snow
cones, and the side cone.
International Association of Forensic Sciences
The International Association of Forensic Sciences was inaugurated in 1957. This organization
holds world meetings every 3 years.
International Association for Identification
See IAI.
International Identification Outlook
The International Identification Outlook was the first periodical published by the IAI. It began in
1916 and was only published for a short time.
Interstitial
Relating to or situated in the small, narrow spaces between tissues or parts of an organ.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=interstitial07-01-2003
SWGFAST refers to incipient ridges as Interstitial.
Alfred R. Hale refers to interstitial ridges as Secondary ridges in his paper “Morphogenesis of
Volar Skin in the Human Fetus” 1952.
Inter-Subjectively Tested
Subjective conclusions that are independently tested by others. This eliminates individual biases
for a more objective conclusion.
Karl Popper contends that we never know the truth but we get closer to it each time a single
observation is inter-subjectively tested. The more times people independently replicate a
conclusion, the more confident we can be in that conclusion.
Intervening Ridges
The number of friction ridges between two characteristics.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Intra
Within the same source. Intra-source would be looking at or comparing the variance within the
same source.
See Inter-.
Intuition
The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate
cognition.
Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.
A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=intuition 03-18-2003
Instinctive knowing (without the use of rational processes) 2: an impression that something might
be the case.
WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=intuition 03-18-2003
Inverted Ridges
See Tonal Reversal.
Inward Nose Loop
A loop in the hypothenar region of the palm of a hand where the recurve faces in towards the
thenar usually associated with a delta higher up the hypothenar than normally seen. The height of
the delta is a method of secondary classification in Sharp Classification system. Low, medium
and high deltas are measured from the bracelet crease.
Iodine
Element used as either a vapor or solution; binds with fats and oils to visualize friction ridge
detail.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0
Iodine vapors are best used on porous surfaces. They color the fats and oils present in
sebaceous residue and as the iodine evaporates, the color fades. It has been found that iodine
works best on latents that are freshly deposited. Due to the hazards associated with it and the
advances of other processing techniques, iodine is seldom used.
Iodine-Silver Transfer Method
A method for recovering friction ridge detail. Developed by John McMorris and presented at the
IAI California Division Conference in 1936.
Islands
Friction ridges of varying lengths.
Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis, David R. Ashbaugh 1999 CRC Press
Isopropanol (Isopropyl Alcohol)
Solvent used in the preparation of reagents.
SWGFAST, Glossary – Consolidated 09-09-03 ver. 1.0