How are fingerprints detected at a crime scene?

How are fingerprints detected at a crime scene?

Richard Saferstein (Former Chief Forensic Scientist) gives expert video advice on: How are fingerprints detected at a crime scene?; What's the difference between a 'visible fingerprint' and a 'latent fingerprint'?; How are fingerprints preserved in CSI? and more...

At a crime scene, you could expect to find two types of fingerprints: visible and invisible. The visible fingerprints are obviously easy to detect. They are photographed and a record is made through photography, which would ultimately be brought back to the laboratory. The invisible, or latent, fingerprint is more difficult to find. It's a hidden fingerprint and it must be developed through any one of a number of means, usually through powdering or through chemicals. Once it's developed, it will be visualized and recorded and then brought back to the laboratory for further analysis.