Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FINGERPRINT KEYSEARCH PUNCH

Date Range From

1984

Date Range To

1990

Materials

STEEL, NICKEL

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.21

Length

14

Width

8.2

Description

STEEL AND CHROME HAND-HELD SINGLE HOLE PUNCH. SPRING-OPERATED HANDLE; ALSO BLUE PLASTIC SPRING-OPERATED TAB AT HEAD OF PUNCH TO CATCH PAPER BITS. INSIDE ARM OF HANDLE HAS IN RELIEF "MCBEE MADE IN USA". CUTS TAB-SHAPED, NOT ROUND, HOLES.

Subjects

DATA PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

PART OF KEY/PUNCH FINGERPRINT SYSTEM; USED WITH ITEMS P19960112026, 27-GA. FINGERPRINT CHARACTERISTICS WERE IDENTIFIED ON CARD BY PUNCHING TAB IN CODED BOXES AROUND CARD EDGE. KEY WAS SLOTTED THROUGH STACK OF CARDS, WHICH WAS SHAKEN OUT TO IDENTIFY MATCHING CHARACTERISTICS AMONG CARDS, WHICH COULD THEN BE FURTHER NARROWED BY REPEATING PROCESS. USED BY LETHBRIDGE POLICE BEGINNING IN 1984. HOLES PUNCHED ON THE EDGE OF THE CARDS IDENTIFIED THE MAIN FEATURES OF EACH PRINT. BY INSERTING THE RODS THROUGH STACKS OF CARDS AND SHAKING THE PILE, INVESTIGATORS ELIMINATED PRINTS UNTIL A MATCHING CLASSIFICATION WAS FOUND. RESULTS WERE THEN CONFIRMED BY A FINGERPRINT TECHNICIAN. NO TWO FINGERPRINTS HAVE EVER BEEN FOUND TO BE IDENTICAL IN EVERY DETAIL. FINGERPRINT EVIDENCE IS THEREFORE "THE MOST COMMON, MOST SOUGHT AFTER, POSITIVE AND VALUABLE OF ALL TYPES OF EVIDENCE ENCOUNTERED IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS" ACCORDING TO FORMER IDENT OFFICER GLEN MICHELSON. THE CARD SYSTEM WAS REPLACED BY THE AUTOMATIC FINGER IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (AFIS), WHICH OFFERS LOCAL INVESTIGATORS ACCESS TO A COMPUTERIZED DATABASE IN CALGARY. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MICHELSON'S IDENT CAREER, SEE P19960112027. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING SOME DONATED BY THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE POLICE SERVICES. FOR A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LETHBRIDGE POLICE COLLECTION, SEE RECORD P19960112001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE POLICE SERVICES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF INTERVIEWS AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH CURRENT AND FORMER LETHBRIDGE POLICE, SEE PERMANENT FILE P19960112000.

Catalogue Number

P19960112025

Acquisition Date

1996-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail