| The fingerprint card is another
important document that requires accuracy. All required
information should be entered on the top of the card. Instructors should
not sign their name on a blank card and allow the applicant to leave and
be fingerprinted elsewhere. Any instructor can take the fingerprints for
the applicant; however the prints must be clear and legible. An
applicant may fingerprint themselves, meaning that no one is required to
physically roll the applicant's fingers; sometimes it is easier for them
to do it themselves. Just ensure that they put the correct finger in the
corresponding box.
Instructors (or others) who assist with
or take prints for their applicants will sign the card in the "Signature
of Official Taking Fingerprints" box. Less ink is better than too much
ink when taking prints. Cards with black "globs" of ink in the boxes
will result in your applicant's application being returned to them. If
any
doubt on how to correctly take the prints, follow the instructions
on the back of the card. Do not put tape over the inked prints.
Ensure the applicants fingers are
clean and dry. Rubbing alcohol can assist with raising prints.
Various police and private agencies also
conduct fingerprinting, for a small fee (DPS does not). Call your local
agencies to inquire.
Fingerprint card written entry guide:
The following boxes must be filled in with
black ink and neatly printed (all letters in caps):
Signature of person fingerprinted:
Self explanatory.
Residence of person fingerprinted:
Address, self explanatory.
Date: MMDDYY or MMDDYYYY; January
4, 2002 would be 010402 or 01042002.
Signature of person taking
fingerprints: Self explanatory.
NAM: Last, First Middle, in caps.
AKA: Previous names, maiden names,
etc., in caps.
CTZ: US (or leave blank if a
non-citizen)
SOC: Do not use dashes between
numbers; 123-45-6789 would be 123456789.
DOB: All numbers, MMDDYY OR
MMDDYYYY; January 4, 2002 would be 010402 or 01042002.
SEX: Single letter, M for male, F
for female.
RACE: Single letter, White: W,
Black: B, Asian/Pacific Islander: A, American Indian:
I .
Note: Persons are classified by
race according to their physical appearance (Example: a
Hispanic with predominately Caucasian features will be white,
where as a Hispanic whose appearance is more closely African-American
will be black).
HGT: Three numbers, no other marks
or letters (6 feet 2 inches: 602; 5 feet 10 inches: 510).
WGT: Three numbers, no other marks
or letters (210 pounds: 210; 98 pounds: 098).
HAIR: Three letters, Blonde: BLN;
Brown: BRO; Red: RED; Grey: GRY; Black: BLK; White: WHT; Bald: XXX.
EYES: Three letters, Blue: BLU;
Brown: BRO; Hazel: HZL; Green: GRN; Grey: GRY; Black: BLK.
POB: State only (or country only,
if born outside of the United States or its territories). Chicago,
Illinois would be ILLINOIS. Munich, Germany would be GERMANY.
Taking Fingerprints
Taking good, clean fingerprints is not
difficult. To be classified, a good fingerprint impression should be
dark gray in color and free of smudges. All that is required to obtain
good prints is practice.
Steps in Taking Fingerprints
To help you obtain the best set of
fingerprints possible, use the following procedures:
Initial steps.
First,
have the subject sign the fingerprint card. Next, have the subject wash
his or her hands to remove any dirt particles. Ensure that the fingers
are free of lint from towels used to dry the hands.
Inking.
The ink
and glass method, the porelon pad, and the inkless system are the most
common. The mechanics of rolling fingerprints is the same for all three
methods. Whichever method is used, insure the ink is spread evenly over
the surface.
Rolled impressions.
Rolled
impressions (fig A, below) are made by rolling the finger or thumb from
nail edge to nail edge. They are made to show the entire friction
surface of the finger or thumb, from the tip to one quarter inch below
the first joint. The larger surface of the fully rolled impression not
only allows accurate classification but it also gives more points for
comparison. Important! Ensure the
print does not cover or extend beyond the blue lines of the box. The
entire print must be within the confines of the box. This may require
that less surface of the finger be rolled for persons with large
fingers.
There is a specific method of rolling the
subject's fingers or thumbs in the ink and onto the fingerprint card to
ensure a good impression. The basic premise is to roll the fingers or
thumbs from awkward to comfortable.
To illustrate this, hold your hands in front
of you with the backs of your hands together. Now roll them around so
that the palms are together and the thumbs are up. You will see that the
right hand moved clockwise and the left hand moved counterclockwise.
This is the direction the fingers on each hand should be moved. Thumbs
are moved in the opposite direction of the fingers.
The person taking the prints should grasp
the top of the subject's hand and ensure that the finger to be printed
is extended. The roll is a single movement with only enough pressure to
provide a clear print. The subject being printed should be told to look
away from the fingerprint card and to try not to "help" the roll. This
will reduce smudging and produce a clean impression.
Plain
impressions.
Plain
impressions (fig. B, below) are made on the card by simply pressing the
four fingers on it at a slight angle. They should be showing the tips to
one-quarter inch below the first joint. Thumbs are then printed by
simply re-inking and pressing them on the block next to the plain finger
impressions. The purpose of plain impressions is to verify the order of
the rolled impressions and to show certain characteristics that are
sometimes distorted in the rolled prints.
The subject's fingers are held straight and
stiff. The hand should be level with the wrist. The person taking the
prints should grasp the wrist with one hand and press the fingers onto
the cards with the other hand.
Final
step.
After
the printing procedure is completed, the person taking the prints should
complete the information on the fingerprint card. Lay a sheet of paper
towel over the prints before placing your hand on the card to enter
information. There should be facilities nearby for the subject to clean
the ink from the fingers.
PROBLEM PRINTS
Mistakes. If a mistake is made, do
not cross out the bad print and then re-roll the print on the back of
the card. Instead, use a tab over and re-roll the print in the proper
place on the front of the card.
Dry
or soft skin.
Certain
people have dry and rough hands because of their occupations. Rubbing
the tips of the fingers with oil or creams will often make the fingers
pliable and soft enough for clear, unsmudged prints to be made. Holding
ice against the fingers will sometimes help if the ridges are fine and
small and the skin is soft-as is often the case with children or women.
Deformed fingers or hands.
If the
hands and fingers are so deformed that the regular printing procedure
cannot be followed, prints can be made by applying the ink directly to
the fingers with a spatula or small roller. A square, self-sticking
replacement tab can be rotated around the finger. When a satisfactory
print has been made, this square is then affixed to the appropriate box
of the fingerprint card.
In cases where there are extra fingers
(usually little fingers or thumbs), the innermost five are printed on
the card, and the extra digit is printed on the reverse of the card.
Webbed fingers are printed as well as
possible in the roller and plain impressions.
Make a notation
if a
finger
or fingertip is amputated (or has some other deformity)
in the
appropriate box on the card specifying which finger is
deformed. (Example: "AMP, LEFT INDEX, 1ST JOINT, FEB 1943" or "LEFT
INDEX TIP
AMP" or
"BEST PRINTS POSSIBLE"). Ensure that the writing stays within
the appropriate box.
The
fingerprint card classification system for Licensing is automated now
and the prints are either acceptable or
rejected by the FBI, which are then returned to the applicant by DPS.
Returned print cards require submission of a new set of prints by the
applicant within a specified time frame. Failure to resubmit the card
can result in the suspension of the applicant's license.
Excessive perspiration.
Because
of the subject's excessive perspiration, some inked impressions will be
indistinct. Wipe each finger with a cloth and immediately ink and roll
the finger on the fingerprint card. Follow this process with each
finger. It is also possible to wipe the fingers with alcohol or similar
fluid that would act as a drying agent.
POOR IMPRESSIONS
Poor impressions usually are caused by one
or more of the following mistakes:
1. The use of poor, thin, or colored ink
resulting in impressions too light or too faint or with obliterated
ridges. Best results are obtained by using heavy, black printer's ink.
This is a paste, and it should not be thinned before using. It dries
quickly and does not blur or smear in handling.
2. Failure to clean the person's fingers
thoroughly before inking. If foreign matter (or perspiration) adheres to
the fingers, false markings appear and characteristics disappear.
3. Failure to clean the inking apparatus
after each use.
4. Failure to roll the fingers fully from
one side to the other and failure to ink the entire finger area from tip
to below the first joint. Such failures result in important areas not
appearing on the print. The impression should show the entire finger,
from the first joint to the tip, and from one side to the other side.
5. The use of too much ink, resulting in the
obliteration of ridges. Just a touch of the tube of ink to the plate is
sufficient for several sets of prints. It must be spread with a roller
into a thin, even film.
6. The use of too little ink, resulting in
ridge impressions too light and too faint for tracing or counting. If
light or faint impressions occur when using a porelon pad the pad needs
to be replaced.
7. Slipping or twisting of the fingers,
causing smears, blurs, and false patterns. Hold the fingers lightly,
using little pressure, and caution the person against trying to help.
Ask him or her to remain quiet and relaxed. |
