A Pennsylvania forensic crime lab has added what many are calling a game changer in their ability to solve crimes. The Cumberland County forensic labs Vacuum Metal Deposition device has the ability to lift latent fingerprints on materials which were impossible to lift before.
The machine works by depositing a thin layer of gold and zinc on items under high vacuum pressure without destroying DNA in the process. Fingerprints can be lifted off item ranging from dollar bills to all kinds of fabric and plastics enabling law enforcement narrow down a list of suspects.
The cutting edge technology comes with a price tag of $150, 000 so not surprisingly only 14 are in use across the U.S. Law enforcement departments that have the advantage say that the device helps to generate investigative leads quicker and more efficiently, leading law enforcement in the right direction.
The new technology revealing fingerprints in crimes will not only help law enforcement track down criminals, but also keep innocent people from being convicted of crimes they did not commit. See the story at Fox43 regarding the Vacuum Metal Deposition, or VMD device here.
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