Fingerprints have been used for many years to identify people. Sometimes the police will want to know who left prints behind at a crime scene. But there are other uses for fingerprints. Your prints identify you uniquely, so they can be used like a signature on documents. Some computer systems require you to put your finger in a slot so its print can be read electronically, before the machine will let you log on. Children’s prints can be recorded in case of kidnapping. Certain occupations may require you to submit your fingerprints so that they can check to see if you have a criminal record.

Let’s look at how fingerprints are left behind when you touch something. This is how criminals are caught! A person’s fingerprints can be transferred to objects in three different ways.
- The person could have something on his hands that will leave a mark, like paint, or ink, or maybe even (shudder!) blood!
- The person could touch something soft, even dust on a flat surface, and his fingerprints will leave an impression.
- Oil on your skin will come off, and make a pattern on an object. This is how even the most careful criminal gets caught, because there is always a layer of oil on your skin.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 20th, 2007 at 9:34 am and is filed under Home Security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.