The SpyTech Fingerprint Kit

Spies operate in secret.

Once their identity is known, their effectiveness ends.

One of the best ways to identify spies is through their fingerprints.

Your SpyTech Fingerprint Kit contains everything you need to find and identify fingerprints.

Tape dispenser, fingerprint powder, feather brush, magnifying glass, rubber gloves, ink pad, fingerprint storage file cards, unidentified print storage cards.

The Ultimate Means of Identification

Fingerprints are tiny, swirling patterns of lines on the ends of your fingers.

A person's size, weight, and parents may change during their lifetime, but their fingerprints remain the same.

No one on earth has fingerprints that look just like yours.

Even identical twins have different fingerprints.

They provide a foolproof means of identifying you.

Once fingerprinting became an effective weapon against crime, some criminals attempted to change or move their fingerprints through surgery.

One little known robber in the 1940s actually succeeded.

He became known as the man without fingerprints, though he was an immediate suspect in any case where prints were not found.

Most other attempts failed as well.

Rather than help the criminal hide his identity, fingerprint surgery resulted in scars that made his fingerprints far easier to identify.

The Most Common Clue

Fingerprints are the most common and valuable clues that can identify a spy or a criminal.

If you ever had ink or grease on your hands, you've noticed that you leave dark fingerprints on everything you touch.

These are called visible fingerprints.

But every time you touch a smooth, hard surface, you leave fingerprints behind, even if you can't see them.

These are called latent or hidden prints, and they are made by the perspiration and oils that you have on your fingertips.

In order to be seen they must be developed or made visible with the powder that you have in your spy tech fingerprint kit.

Finding Fingerprints

First you must look for places where fingerprint might be found Places that a person would be likely to touch.

The best prints are found on smooth hard surfaces.

You will not find fingerprints on a rough wood newspaper cloth or carpets.

Surfaces that will show fingerprints glass shiny metal painted metal plastic and China

While you are looking you must be careful what you touch as you may ruin fingerprints accidentally

Where are the gloves that come with your spy tech fingerprint kit?

Magnifier from your kit will help you spot a print

Examine objects from several angles under strong light.

You think you have found a print you're ready to develop it.

Developing Fingerprint Kits

You can make hidden fingerprints visible with the special powder that is included in the Spytech fingerprint kit.

Shake out a small amount of powder onto the surface beside the print.

Use the fluffy tip of your fingerprint brush to gently brush the powder over the print.

The powder will stick to the print and make it show up against the background.

Brush away any extra until the fingerprint is sharp and clear.

After you've finished developing the print you may discover that it's smudged.

That's not your fault.

Whoever left the print must have moved their hand a little.

Try again.

Remember a spy is patient dusting for prints.

Lifting Prints

Once you have developed a good clear print you'll want to save it as a clue.

You can do this with the transparent tape included in your kit.

Cut off a piece about two inches long.

Wear your gloves and handle it only by the ends.

Press the sticky side firmly against the powdered print.

Now when you press the tape down try not to get any wrinkles in it or you will break up the fingerprint pattern.

Lift the tape gently and stick it to one of the unidentified print storage cards included in your kit.

Lift the print and store it on a card.

Recording Fingerprints

In order to figure out who left the fingerprint you must first assemble a file of identified fingerprints that you can compare it to.

You can create a file of the fingerprints of members of your spy ring.

Take a card from the spy tech fingerprint kit and put his or her name or code name on it.

Then make a print of each one of their fingers in the space provided.

Be sure to make a fingerprint card for yourself too.

You don't want to waste time trying to identify prints that may belong to you.

How to Take Fingerprints

You should take the fingerprints of your subjects rather than have them try to do it themselves.

To get a good print, fingers should be rolled rather than pressed.

To take some practice to get good results.

It takes some practice to get good results, so don't be discouraged if your first attempts are not perfect.

Before you start, make sure your subjects hands are clean.

Dirt or grease will ruin their prints.

Your subjects should stand behind a table.

Have your ink pad and fingerprint card at the edge of the table so you can move the subjects hand freely.

This subject should relax and let you do all the work.

Grasp the subjects hand as shown in the illustration.

Do one finger at a time.

Hold that finger, roll it gently across the ink pad from one side to the other.

Lift the subjects hand and position the finger over the proper square on the card.

Press the side of the finger to the card and roll it once, then lift.

When you are done, give the card a half hour to dry properly before you file it.

Identifying Prints

If you have lifted a fingerprint, you will want to find out who it belongs to.

To do this, you must compare it to the fingerprints you have on file or those of a suspect.

You'll need the magnifying glass for your spy-tech fingerprint kit to do this.

It will be easier if you learn what patterns to look for.

There are eight basic types of fingerprint pattern, as shown in the following chart.

See which type looks the most like the fingerprint you lifted.

Then look for similar patterns in the fingerprints you have on file.

There are other things to look for as well.

How about the size of the fingerprint?

A child will leave a smaller print than an adult, and a girl will usually leave a smaller print than a boy of the same age.

Scars or calluses may show up in the prints that will help narrow down the search.

Take a ruler and count the number of ridges in a quarter of an inch.

Remember, everyone's fingerprints are different.

It's just a matter of learning what to look for.

The Eight Basic Types of Fingerprints  

Radial Loop.

Unlar Loop.

Double loop.

Tented arch.

Central pocket loop.

Plain whorl.

Plain arch.

Accidental.

Training exercise.

Finding and identifying fingerprints isn't easy.

You'll get better at it if you practice.

Make up fingerprint cards and three or more members of your spy ring.

Then have them gather in a room while you wait outside the room.

in the room is a clean drinking glass wrapped in a towel to keep fingerprints off of it.

One of them, only one, will handle it.

When you return to the room, you can try to discover who touched the glass by identifying the fingerprints.

Take turns, so you can make an identification. identification in the shortest time.

Spy Tech Language

Clue: something that helps solve a crime or mystery, such as fingerprints left at the scene.

Develop: to make a fingerprint visible using fingerprint powder or other methods.

Dusting for prints: using fingerprint powder to develop latent prints.

FBI: the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI has over 187 million fingerprint cards on file at their headquarters in Washington, D .C.

Latent print: a fingerprint that can't be seen until it is developed.

Lifting prints: picking up dusted fingerprint with tape.

Molded print: a clear fingerprint left on a soft substance, such as clay or wet paint.

Visible print: a fingerprint left by someone with dirty hands.

‍