Small Particle Reagent: Developing Latent Prints on Water-Soaked Firearms and Effect on Firearms Analysis

• NCJ Number: 118042
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1989) Pages: 321-327
• Author(s): J Onstwedder III; T E Gamboe Jr
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Small particle reagent (SPR) is a technique for developing latent prints on water-soaked items.

Abstract

Current research in processing wet firearms indicates that SPR may be a valid technique for developing latent prints with negligible effect on firearms analysis. Six different firearms each composed of different materials were immersed in water at time intervals ranging from 8 to 35 days. At the end of the first and second phases, all firearms were processed for latent prints using SPR. A third phase involved using cyanoacrylate ester fuming followed by black powder as a generally accepted processing technique. Results of the experiment revealed that SPR yielded more suitable latent impressions than cyanocrylate ester fuming followed by black powder. (Author abstract)