Finger marks on glass and metal surfaces recovered from stagnant water

A study was done to investigate whether certain fingerprint methods can recover latent fingerprints on glass and metal surfaces submerged in water. Donors intentionally placed fingerprints on glass and burnished metal surfaces. The surfaces to be examined were exposed to the influences of stagnant water during different time intervals. Finger marks were recovered with Silver Special powder, small particle reagent (black and white) and cyanoacrylate. The best results were achieved with cyanoacrylate. Our study has shown that the duration of exposure to stagnant water and the methods selected for enhancement had an influence on the quality of detected finger marks.