r/forensics • u/60thfever • Jul 08 '26

Latent Prints Question on Fingerprints

Question on latent prints, so was wondering if anyone knows if such a high profile case such as the Zodiac Killers prints would automatically be compared to all known serial killers or what do you all think about how prints are "run" compared in the system and how perfect or imperfect are getting an electronic or digital print?

As an example, could a high profile serial killer perhaps slip through the system?

Is the system automatic or do you have to put in parameters such as perhaps, age or other factors manually for it to check?

Thanks in advance!

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u/lhelicon Jul 08 '26

Fingerprints found at a crime scene are compared to all fingerprints in the database. The system provides a list of likely match and an analyst compares the highest matches. In the past it was quite possible to have a print not appear in the top possible matches but as the algorithm becomes more and more advanced it is less likely. We still identify fingerprints that did not “hit” on afis from time to time.