A NOVEL system to image fingerprints on spent gun cartridges has been made available to forensics experts thanks to a custom made lens from Resolve Optics.
Identifiable fingerprints can be found on cartridge cases using the Cera technique
The new technique, Cartridge Electrostatic Recovery and Analysis (Cera), can extract fingerprints when other methods cannot, says developer Consolite Forensics.
Discharged cartridges have long presented a difficult challenge for crime scene investigations, as the heat produced by the weapon effectively wipes the cartridge case clean. The new technique exploits the corrosive effect of sweat on brass cartridge cases.
The Cera system uses a special powder which is attracted to areas of surface corrosion on the case, which may then yield an identifiable fingerprint.
It is at this stage that the Resolve Optics lens comes into play, collecting a number of high resolution 10Mp images from the circumference of the cartridge. These are then uploaded to special imaging software to create a fingerprint for identification.