Scene detectives have used dusting powders to develop fingerprints since the 19th century, a
trend that continues unabated. A recent study in Great Britain showed that approximately 50% of
their on-scene fingerprint identifications came from dusted fingerprints (24). Powders are the
most ubiquitous technique for developing non-porous and selected porous surfaces, and their
widespread use should not come as a surprise as they are the staple of crime scene investigators.
The thought of a crime scene detective dusting prints evokes the image of a black powder laden
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brush swishing back and forth, bespectacled eyes leaning through a suspended black dust cloud
to see ridge detail as it slowly emerges through the haze. The image is false, of course, but
experience shows that the aftermath of processed crime scenes in New York City often appears
as though a black tornado had swept though the scene as walls, tables, etc., have changed to
black and gray.