Mesa Police Department Forensic Services

Latent Print Unit

Forensic Latent Print Examiners (I & II) perform scientific examinations in the area of friction ridge analysis, including the comparison of latent finger and palm prints to known subjects' prints.  Various powders, chemicals, and illumination techniques are used to process evidence for latent prints.  Latent prints are searched in a computer database known as the Arizona Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AZAFIS), which enables unidentified latent prints to be compared with approximately two million finger and palm print records from known individuals within the database.  The Latent Print Examiners are responsible for processing major crime scenes, providing expert witness testimony regarding their findings in courts throughout the state, and instructing law enforcement personnel.