Digital Cameras
Digital CamerasThe use of digital cameras for procedures such as collecting fingerprint evidence is also gaining wide acceptance. Digital cameras operate much like traditional cameras except that instead of images being transferred to film, they are stored on the camera's hard drive. Up to 48 images can be stored and then downloaded from the camera to Macintosh computers or Pcs.In Newport Beach, Calif., a small, affluent Orange County community with a population less than 70,000, the police department is using digital cameras to collect and prepare fingerprint evidence.
The beachfront community has its share of crime, mostly car and home breakins. "The digital camera saves an incredible amount of time in preparing fingerprint evidence," says George Reis, photographer for the Newport Beach Police Department. "The bottom line for our community is that we will solve cases faster, apprehend suspects quicker and give our department more time to devote to noninvestigative police services."Reis, a civilian photographer who heads the police photography operation, first became interested in digital photography two years ago. After first rejecting digital cameras due to cost and image quality, he later purchased a higherquality product in January 1993.
With the aid of a laser or forensic light source, the camera allows a fluorescing fingerprint image to be made. Prints can then be sent to CAL ID - a statewide criminal fingerprint database - in an hour, rather than the eight hours required using conventional means. "You get a better quality fingerprint image and get it into the system quickly to catch suspects faster, cutting crime and making citizens happy," Reis says. Reis primarily uses his camera to take pictures of fingerprints collected by traditional lifting methods. With conventional black powder lifts, the camera provides clarity and detail allowing print enhancement capabilities and enlargement. On some occasions though, pictures have been taken directly of fingerprints at crime scenes. The department uses a scanner to input fingerprint images lifted from objects with tape. "The lift tape picks up a lot of stray powder, surface texture and other background material," Reis says. "Photographing the print with the camera before making the lift provides a cleaner print to work with."The camera brings images directly into the computer for immediate viewing, networking from one person to another and enhancement. Distracting backgrounds can be eliminated in...
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