Developing Reproducible Protocols and Definitions for Selecting Combined Minutiae

Learning Objectives: Attendees will learn about the protocols developed to assess the content of latent print examiners’ responses to questions about use of minutiae frequencies in case work as well as the process through which a repeatable and reproducible protocol was created for standardizing the collection of data about combined minutia types. Attendees will see new data regarding the way in which latent print examiners use minutiae rarity in their Analysis and Comparison judgments and what sources of information informed their estimates of minutiae rarity.Attendees will see new information about objective minutiae frequencies and the protocol developed to establish objective frequencies for combined minutiae in research.
Impact Statement: This presentation will impact the forensic science community by providing fingerprint examiners with information about how latent print examiners weigh the presence of minutiae according to the perceived rarity of those minutiae and their placement as well as the sources of the information used to make these judgments. The presenters will also give an update regarding the collection of objective frequencies for combined minutiae. This presentation will also include a description of the development of the repeatable and reproducible protocol created for standardizing the collection of data about combined minutia types and the benefits of using this protocol in future research.