Small Particle Reagent: Developing Latent Prints on Water-Soaked Firearms and Effect on Firearms Analysis
J Onstwedder, TE Gamboe · Journal of Forensic Sciences · 1989
Abstract Small particle reagent (SPR) is a technique for developing latent prints on watersoaked items. Current research in processing wet firearms indicates that SPR may be a valid technique for developing latent prints with negligible effect on firearms analysis. Six different firearms each composed of different materials were immersed in water at time intervals ranging from eight to thirty-five days. At the end of the first and second phases, all firearms were processed for latent prints using SPR. A third phase involved using cyanoacrylate ester fuming followed by black powder as a generally accepted processing technique. Results of the experiment revealed that SPR yielded more suitable latent impressions than cyanocrylate ester fuming followed by black powder.