Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FINGERPRINT KEYSEARCH CARDS

Date Range From

1984

Date Range To

1990

Materials

PAPER

No. Pieces

4

Length

20.6

Width

13

Description

FOUR CREAM-COLORED PAPER CARDS WITH BLUE TRIM, AND "LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE FORCE KEYSEARCH LATENT FINGERPRINT FORM 1" PRINTED AT TOP. HOLES PERFORATED AROUND EDGES, ENCODED WITH VARIOUS FINGERPRINT CHARACTERISTICS. DETAILS: .1 FINGERPRINTS OF "TOPE BYRON DAVID"; DATED "85/05/29". REVERSE BLANK. .2 FINGERPRINTS OF "LABRECQUE, KENNETH WADE", PRINTED ON WHITE SHEETS ADHERE TO CARD. DATED "85-3-8". .3 PHOTO OF FINGERPRINTS FOUND ON OBJECT; TAPED TO CARD. PRINT IS CIRCLED IN PHOTO, AND SCALED BY RULED STICKER JUST ABOVE. NAME IDENTIFIED AS "CSIZMADIA"; DATED "85/4/9". REVERSE HAS HANDWRITTEN "KEYSEARCHED 85/4/10 85/4/19". .4 PHOTO OF FINGERPRINTS FOUND ON OJBECT; TAPED TO CARD. RULED STICKER ABOVE PRINT WITH "MOTOWN TOYOTA". "1984 - OTTAWA SUBMISSION - NEG." AT BOTTOM. DATED "84-6-24". REVERSE HAS SECOND PHOTO OF PRINTS FOUND ON OBJECT.

Subjects

DATA PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

PART OF KEY/PUNCH FINGERPRINT SYSTEM; USED WITH ITEMS P19960112025,26-GA TO COMPARE A PARTIAL FINGERPRINT FOUND AT A CRIME SCENE WITH AN ORIGINAL SET OF PRINTS PROVIDED BY THE ACCUSED. 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 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. IT IS CLAIMED THAT THE CARDS WERE "SIGNED BY MEMBERS SUCH AS CST. TERRY TOWNSEND AND GORD SCHEURMAN". FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MICHELSON'S IDENT CAREER, SEE ARTIFACT'S PERMANENT FILE. *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

P19960112027

Acquisition Date

1996-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail