The Science of Fingerprints: Classification and Uses

"The Science of Fingerprints: Classification and Uses" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, gives law enforcement a guide to understanding and using fingerprints, mostly during the last half of the 20th century. This publication explains how to classify and identify fingerprints, showing how important they are for solving crimes and even for things outside of criminal investigations. Focused on officers and agencies, it stresses the need for a central fingerprint system, managed by the FBI, and points out that fingerprints are unique and better than older ways of identifying people. The booklet also touches on fingerprinting's history and its use in both criminal cases and in helping people, like finding the missing. This introduction prepares the reader for a more detailed look at fingerprint patterns, how they are classified, and how they are used in police work.