New software application helps police obtain detailed fingerprint evidence
NOVEMBER 1--Syncroscopy (Cambridge, England; www.syncroscopy.com) has announced that the Wiltshire Police Department is successfully using Auto-Montage software to produce entire fingerprint images from three-dimensional surfaces, which is extremely difficult to do with photography alone. Syncroscopy�s Auto-Montage software combines the most in-focus regions from a series of partially focused digital fingerprint images photographed by a DCS-121 digital workstation (Mason Vactron Ltd., Worcestershire, England). These images, taken from a number of areas on objects such as car doors, are imported into Auto-Montage, which uses algorithms to automatically create a focused whole fingerprint impression that can be used as evidence.
Esther Neate, senior fingerprint-development officer, Wiltshire Constabulary, said: �With Auto-Montage software we no longer have to spend valuable time overlaying fingerprint photographs to get a complete fingerprint mark from a curved surface. One of the great benefits of Auto-Montage for our fingerprint work is that we can use it to enhance images to see fine detail such as ridges or loops. These are often crucial for making fingerprint matches, but it is something that most imaging software is not capable of doing.�