NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT - New Albany, Ohio

NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Directive 9.1 – Fingerprinting
9.1.1 Importance of Good Fingerprinting
All criminal history records require absolute certainty of identification based upon fingerprints.
Without a set of fingerprints to match against existing files, there can be no modifications to
existing criminal history records. Improper fingerprints can result in the inadvertent release of
guilty or dangerous individuals. It is imperative that fingerprints are correctly recorded and of the
best quality.
While the New Albany Police Department intends to transition to an electronic fingerprint system
in the future, the following guidelines should be followed to obtain good rolled ink fingerprint
impressions:
A. In warm weather, each finger should be wiped dry of perspiration before inking and
printing.
Over inking is one of the main reasons for rejecting fingerprint cards by BCI&I. The use of
too much ink will obscure the ridges. Insufficient ink will result in ridges that are too light
to be counted or traced. Ink should be reapplied after each set of prints have been taken
and when the fingerprints become too light to be distinguishable.
B. The subject should be cautioned to relax and refrain from trying to help the operator by
exerting pressure as this prevents the operator from judging the amount needed. A
method which is helpful in affecting the relaxation of the subject’s hand is that he/she
should look at an opposite wall and not concentrate on his/her hands.
The subject’s fingers should be kept flat on the ink pad and rolled from nail to nail.
Ink the fingers evenly from the tip to below the first joint crease. Press each finger lightly
on the card and roll in the same manner. Keep fingers parallel to the card surface and roll
from nail to nail. Place the fingers so the ridge detail appears in the target blocks. Control
the rolling action by gripping the subject’s fingertip with a thumb and index finger and use
the other thumb and index finger to grip the subject’s finger at the first joint. This allows
for control over the lateral movement of the subject’s finger as it is being rolled.
To take advantage of the natural movement of the finger’s bones in making impressions
the thumb should be rolled towards and the fingers away from the center of the subject’s
body.
For centered prints, line the subject’s finger up to the edge of the fingerprint block and roll
the finger from nail to nail.
Lift the subject’s finger off the card when the roll is completed instead of allowing the
subject to pull his/her inked finger across the freshly rolled imprint.
C. Always ink and print each finger separately, beginning with the thumb, then in
order, the index, middle, ring, and little fingers.
D. Ink thumbs on slab and place them (without rolling) on the fingerprint card in the
blocks provided. The right thumb impression should be taken first and then the
left. All the fingers of the hand should be pressed lightly upon the inking pad, then
pressed simultaneously upon the lower corner of the card in the space provided.
Fingers can be placed at an angle if necessary.
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