GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – On television it only takes an hour to solve a complicated crime and only seconds to lift fingerprints off evidence.
The real-life process is much different and takes quite a bit longer.
In the latest episode of Green Bay Crime we go behind the scenes within the police department’s forensics unit and get an up-close look at how they retrieve prints off of crucial pieces of evidence.
The unit consists of 3 forensic specialists, Kurt Meier, Steve Krouth, and Baeleigh Larson.
Krouth says during the beginning process, they put a small amount of super glue in the fuming chamber which adheres to the evidence and helps in the print-lifting process.
“The nice thing about the super glue is that it kind of adheres to the ridges, so sometimes you can lift it (the print), and maybe even lift it again because it firms them up a little bit.”
Evidence usually stays in the fuming chamber for about 10 minutes and then is dusted with black powder.
Larson says it can be a little tricky removing the perfect print…air bubbles are the enemy.
“When you lift a print, you want to roll it backwards and then slowly rub down.”
After the print is lifted, it’s labeled and logged into AFIS or Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
Check out the entire interview and process by watching the video above.
