MATCHING the fingerprints of suspects has recently become a key source of evidence in criminal cases. And being part of forensic science, which studies, analyzes, and identifies facts from collected evidences, fingerprint matching is now being recognized as a modern and critical ingredient in the search for justice.
Working silently behind the police line, the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO), the Philippine counterpart of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation), help in law enforcement and the solution of crimes, said lawyer-physician Maria Elena Enriquez of the UST Faculty of Civil Law.
CSIs and other forensic scientists collect evidence that criminals might have left behind, or proof that a crime happened in a certain area. Then, several tests are made on the evidence to formulate theories of what might have happened. As the pieces construct the puzzle, stronger theories come up, and possibilities are either discarded or fumed up.
According to Enriquez, the Philippines has acquired an $8.98-million Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) in 2003 through a donation from the Japan General Grant Aid Program. The project aims to establish an electronic database of fingerprints at the Philippine National Police (PNP) to allow faster identification of suspects and resolution of crimes, Enriquez said.
The new system may be familiar to Filipinos who have seen forensic television shows in which a digital graph is displayed on one side that show a static print, and on the other, a column of fingerprints that changes as the device searches for a match between the list and the static print, Enriquez told the Varsitarian.
The fund also provides technical assistance to PNP personnel on data conversion and fingerprint kits for crime laboratories in the regional offices to aid in the development of local forensics, Enriquez said.
However, the system is not yet fully operational because the database of fingerprints is not yet available.
In the United States (US), collection of data has went beyond fingerprint matching. Since 1998, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been using the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). CODIS blends forensic science and computer technology and enables crime labs to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically, thereby linking crimes to each other and to convicted offenders. The system is installed in more than 100 laboratories containing 2.5 million profiles and has produced nearly 23,000 “hits” assisting in 25,000 investigations, the FBI reported in its website. Laurence John R. Morales
