Latent print comparison and examiner conclusions: A field analysis of case processing in one crime laboratory

Gardner, Brett O.; Kelley, Sharon; Neuman, Maddisen

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110642

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Research has begun examining open proficiency testing and, to a lesser extent, actual casework in latent print units [6,25]. But research has yet to examine results from blind proficiency programs due to the recency of their implementation.…”

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When categorized using traditional print quality categories [24], 5 submitted prints were evenly distributed across Good (35.7%; n = 133), Bad (30.6%; n = 114), and Ugly (33.8%; n = 126) categories. 6 Nevertheless, average VID scores suggest that all prints were more likely than not to be determined to be of sufficient quality for individualization. Indeed, the print with the lowest quality was still predicted to have a 53% chance of being deemed sufficient quality.…”

Section: Sufficiency Determinations and Latent Quality Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 The FBI (2015) suggest cut scores of 45 and 65 to delineate Ugly, Bad, and Good print quality categories. 6 LQMetrics could not provide a score for three images in our study and we therefore omitted these from analyses involving quality metric scores.…”

Section: Examiner Conclusion and Latent Quality Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Latent print quality in blind proficiency testing: Using quality metrics to examine laboratory performance

Gardner

Neuman

Kelley

2021

Forensic Science International

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Calls for blind proficiency testing in forensic science disciplines intensified following the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report and were echoed in the 2016 report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Both practitioners and scholars have noted that "open" proficiency tests, in which analysts know they are being tested, allow for test-taking behavior that is not representative of behavior in routine casework. This study reports the outcomes of one laboratory's blind quality control (BQC) program. Specifically, we describe results from approximately 2.5 years of blind cases in the latent print section (N = 376 latent prints submitted as part of 144 cases). We also used a widely available quality metrics software (LQMetrics) to explore relationships between objective print quality and case outcomes. Results revealed that nearly all BQC prints (92.0%) were of sufficient quality to enter into AFIS. When prints had a source present in AFIS, 41.7% of print searches resulted in a candidate list containing the true source. Examiners committed no false positive errors but other types of errors were more common. Average print quality was in the midpoint of the range (53.4 on a 0-to-100 scale), though prints were evenly distributed across the Good, Bad, and Ugly categories. Quality metrics were significantly associated with sufficiency determinations, examiner conclusions, and examiner accuracy. Implications for blind testing and the use of quality metrics in routine casework as well as proficiency testing are discussed.

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Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sufficiency Determinations and Latent Quality Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%