A Fingerprint Match Requires More Than A Computer Search
Television often shows a fingerprint entering a computer and producing one certain name seconds later. Real examinations are more careful. A print recovered from an object may be incomplete, smeared, stretched, or covered by other marks. Fingerprint evidence can be valuable, but it must be collected, compared, and explained properly. Understanding the process also shows why a possible match is one part of an investigation rather than automatic proof of a crime.