Super Sleuths Solve the Mystery About Fingerprints

Evidence: presented. Fingerprints dusted. Ultraviolet light beamed onto the suspected area.

A number of local youths turned out for a Toms River Library presentation of the intricacies of forensic science, led by a member of the Toms River Police Department recently.

Officer Jon Turner introduced the youths to some of the finer points of how the police can find clues in order to solve crimes.

Turner asked the kids who had gathered at the Toms River branch, “Who here likes science?” With their eagerly raised hands matched only by the anticipatory grins spreading across the kids’ faces, Turner explained some of the background the children might find interesting.

For instance, the ancient Egyptians recognized the individuality of fingerprints, using them to sign legal documents as early as 1900 B.C. By about 1850, criminologists had introduced the study of fingerprints as identification. As Turner explained, “Everyone’s got fingerprints and they are all different.”

Turner acknowledged that much of the public’s awareness of fingerprinting comes from television shows, such as the popular “CSI” series. “That’s good and bad: now a lot of bad guys know to wear gloves now,” he quipped.

Serge Paul, of Toms River, brought his daughter, Sadé, to the library Thursday along with her younger sisters and just happened to see the program beginning that evening. She likes science and thought she would enjoy the program so she enrolled right before the program began.

Paul said he loves bringing his children to the library for that very reason—there’s always something happening.

“What’s cool about this is she’ll be able to tell her friends about it tomorrow in school,” he said.

Sadé agreed that she appreciated the program and found it very interesting, although she admitted that she had already known that fingerprints are unique to each individual--information that she acknowledged she had read somewhere.

All the children participating in the program went home with a fingerprint card containing their own fingerprints lifted from dusted pieces of “evidence.”

Danielle Larca, Youth Services Librarian at the Toms River Branch explained, “We do Super Sleuths every month. This is the first time doing this program,” concerning fingerprints and forensic science in partnership with the Toms River Police Department.

She said that in the past, they’ve had programs about Native Americans, magic, “always something concerning investigating.”

Turner demonstrated how ultraviolet light can enhance the appearance of dust on fingerprints at a crime scene. He also displayed a cast of a tire track that he and his fellow officers had made of a tire track in the snow that very afternoon for that evenings’ presentation.

The program was held Thursday evening at the Ocean County Library Toms River branch.