The F.B.I. just informed me that they can't read my fingerprints ....

[DC300a]

It's been my experience that the electronic scanners just dont get the detail that the old ink and card method does.

With ink and card a well trained tech can make the most difficult prints stand out.

 

[704338]

My step-dad has worked manual labor all of his life. 38 years of paramedic and he's always working with his hands and building things. He was at a crime scene one time and he moved a table with his latex gloves on. When the FBI was running finger prints lifted at the crime scene his came up. They told him it's pretty uncommon for finger prints to transfer through gloves and warned him if he was to do any crimes it would probably be better to wear leather or two pair of latex gloves.

Anyways, he was telling me about a woman who worked at a local restaurant for almost 20 years and then ended up killing her boyfriend. When they went to run her fingerprints she had none from working the dish tank all the time.

Just 2 little stories I thought I'd share.

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

The old ink card system made good cards,but had to be entered into computer files(loss of clarity). These had to be done with dry clean fingers to get the best results. The new scanner system works best if the finger tips are moist and clean. They are digitally entered into the data base w/o losing clarity, infact the computer system can inhance the print. The old ink systen did not require any certification the new one dose. . As with any system "trash in trash out"

 

[AK103K]

is a problem for lots of folks who work with cement block,and to some extent,bricklayers. jwr

My buddy is a block mason and had this very trouble.

He was doing the paperwork for his first NFA gun and they couldnt get a decent set of prints. He had to wait a couple of weeks and get reprinted. He wore tape on his fingertips at work during those couple of weeks. The next guns he bought, he did the same a couple of weeks before going in and didnt have any problems.

I've had both ink and computer prints done. Never had troubles with the ink, but they always seem to have a problem when they do them on the computer.

 

[HK G3]

Hey OP,

Same thing happened to me also. Just had to resubmit my prints, and I got my CCW the second time around.

The fingerprinting people told me that it's likely the fault of my working in the medical field - he said all that handwashing that we do wears down our fingerprints.

Edit: Post #357!

 

[Haemon]

The fact that you're an attorney might actually be the problem. When my wife runs prints at her job (she works at a company that administers professional certification tests), she always has terrible trouble with people who handle paper all day. Believe it or not, the paper fibers are pretty abrasive and also dry the hands.
I suggest you a) try moisturizing your hands thouroughly and b) ask the tech running the prints to keep on trying until you get a good scan. Our machine gives instant feedback about the quality of the print. We've had to try various fingers MANY times until we get a good print -- but these folks have paid and prepared for the test, so they're not going anywhere until they get a good result.

 

[Avenger]

The nice lady who did my prints for my CHL had a whole bunch of alcohol pads to help bring prints up. Mine were pretty marginal, I work in a glass factory and my fingertips get SANDED with ground glass for 7 hours a day. Heck, I'll bet the network of tiny little scars on my hands are easier to read than my actual prints!

 

[tpaw]

Simple, just use your toes!......

 

[Grey_Mana]

There was a story last year, about a guy who filed an Americans with Disabilities complaint to demand his permit.

Apparently, he had lost a few fingers to frostbite. The FBI kept demanding re-printing, since the print they had didn't have all ten fingers.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

WoW !

 

[Wolfebyte]

+1 on Corn Huskers

I took prints all the time with my job.. sometimes with people not cooperating..

put liberal amounts of the corn husker's lotion on your hands the night before you go back in to re-print.. wear cotton gloves if possible during the night.

wash your hands well the next morning and pat dry, don't rub.. The corn husker's lotion will make the loops and whorls stand out.

 

[isp2605]

There was a story last year, about a guy who filed an Americans with Disabilities complaint to demand his permit.
Apparently, he had lost a few fingers to frostbite. The FBI kept demanding re-printing, since the print they had didn't have all ten fingers.

Sounds like an urban legend.
Missing fingers are common and it's common when fingerprinting. Just indicate "missing" in the appropriate finger box and the prints will go thru. Same with people who have partial missing. No big deal. We send prints thru nearly everyday with partials.
Same with people missing hands. Not uncommon. The FBI is use to getting prints with missing fingers and hands.

 

[beatcop]

See if they will take them using the newer inkless systems, you can see the print on the computer screen and accept or try again. You can then print out a 10 print card.

 

[PcolaDawg]

See if they will take them using the newer inkless systems, you can see the print on the computer screen and accept or try again. You can then print out a 10 print card.

That's the system they had. And they tried it several times, and it never came out great. So they printed out the best they could get and gave me a letter to mail in with the prints saying that my fingerprints were worn down and that's why they couldn't get a better print.

 

[gym]

I didn't think that they even checked the prints unless they show up at a crime scene and they run them against the national data base as part of the investigation. And one would think that missing a piece of a finger would be more unique thus easier to track than just another set of prints. Maybe that just makes to much sense for our govt. to apply.

 

[230RN]

Slick fingers here, too.

I have trouble hanging on to things because of it. A friend of mine tried to hand me a highly polished stone the other day (he's a mining engineer) and he couldn't hang onto it. Then when he handed it to me, I couldn't hang on to it either. Quite comedic. Worthy of Laurel and Hardy.

I've been printed about ten times in the last five years (CCW, Security) and they keep having to re-do the prints with the electronic ones. The inked prints when I got my CCW turned out OK, I guess, since there was no problem getting the license.

 

[209]

Sounds like an urban legend.
Missing fingers are common and it's common when fingerprinting. Just indicate "missing" in the appropriate finger box and the prints will go thru. Same with people who have partial missing. No big deal. We send prints thru nearly everyday with partials.
Same with people missing hands. Not uncommon. The FBI is use to getting prints with missing fingers and hands.

Yeah, there are methods in place for noting missing digits.

On a funny note, we had a person come in to be printed for some sort of certification and he was absent a right hand. The officer took the prints and showed the card to the LT. The LT was busy and glanced at it. He told the officer, "WTH? You didn't print his right hand. Do it right!" and shooed the officer out of his office.

For about the next month or so, a right hand from a mannequin kept showing up with various print cards attached to it.

 

[JWarren]

Quick question...


Did YOU place your fingers on the card or did the person doing your prints?

Were your fingers ROLLED onto the card from one side to the other, and then pressed straight down on the lower area of the card?


As a former stockbroker of 15 years, I have been fingerprinted a LOT. Hell, once, a cop doing told me that I was as good at doing fingerprints as a felon!

However...

I've met more than a few people DOING your fingerprints that had no idea what they were doing. I've had to re-do mine twice due to mistakes. Its a pain in the butt when you need them for a company-change or a promotion.

I am more willing to bet that there was a mistake in the fingerprinting proceedure than I am willing to bet that there is something wrong with your fingers.

Hang in there.

-- John

 

[Geronimo45]

As a former stockbroker of 15 years, I have been fingerprinted a LOT.

Did you work for Enron?

I had to mark down scars on a finger or two for my inked prints. There's a box to explain that.

 

[JWarren]

Geronimo,

Funny you should mention that....


My firm handled Enron's retirement accounts during the debacle.

Towards the end-- before the blow-up, we were fired with no real reason or explaination. Another firm was given the accounts.

Only later did we see why we were fired....

You see, during a period where a retirement plan is being TOA'd (Transfer of Accounts), Enron had a provision where employees could not sell stock or take money out.

They fired us and moved the accounts as a desperate measure to prevent the employees from selling and getting out of company stock.


I didn't work in our retirement division-- I was in Pinnacle Trading, but I could see the freezes on the accounts.

Another ironic thing. MY division got one of the execs caught.

One exec who knew that the blow-up was imminent sold a massive amount of Naked Call Options in one of his private accounts. This brought in approximately 3 million dollars cash. When you sell naked call options it means that you are hoping the stock goes DOWN. If it goes up, you have to cover a massive loss. If it goes down to zero, you make a 100% profit and keep all the premiums you recieved.

He then transfered the 3 million in call option premiums into an account in his wife's name. This was then wired to an account outside of the United States.

A Pinnacle broker on my team saw the massive wire out (which isn't all that unusual for our clients, but we knew that she was an Enron exec's wife.) Since it was going out of the country, the joke was that she was getting out of dodge and leaving the guy. Curiosity caused him to see where the funds came from and he discovered the chain of funds.

A quick call to our wire department had the wire halted and reversed. The concern at this point was funds from an open naked option sale was leaving not only the firm, but the USA. This could have exposed my firm to liability.

As it turns out, this exec was arrested later.


Crazy times, Crazy times.

I still get mad when I think of Enron.


-- John

 

[sailsunfurled]

Pensacola Neck of the woods

Seems more folks on here from the Pensacola Area than I would have thought. Hello from Gulf Breeze and good luck print-less PcolaDawg,

 

[smilin-buddha]

Got my Permit for Concealed permit Saturday. After all the horror stories of how long the wait would be. Was less than 90 days.

 

[Gun Slinger]

PcolaDawg,

Since you are "unprintable", one of the unrealized prospects awaiting you is an exciting career as a cat-burglar or international jewel thief.

 

[Primersinmyshoe]

Wonder if you are killed in an explosion, and all that's left is your hands. You'll never be identified!

 

[AK103K]

You could always get a set tattooed on.

Dillingers or Capones would make for interesting conversation.