Evaluation phase of ACE-V
Procedural Steps:
After an area of consistently corresponding friction ridge features agreeing in both the known print and the latent impression is located, the examiner will formulate a decision to establish a Tentative Conclusion (made, not made, insufficient detail) that will determine an Identification, Exclusion, or an Inconclusive.
An on-going examination of the unknown to the known is performed to test this Tentative Conclusion. An evaluation is made as to the significance of the agreement or disagreement of the details. Use all the known prints that are available to you. Consider all the variations and differences in appearance noted between the prints. Judgements are made of the qualitative and quantitative agreement of the observed details in terms of their depicted image clarity and your established Tolerance levels. 'Run the print out' in terms of exploring, counting and tracing the routes of the ridges and the routes of the furrows.
An Identification is declared when there is the finding of agreement of corresponding detail in such a number and significance to preclude the possibility of the chance occurrence of that relationship in another fingerprint with no significant, unexplained differences to account for. An Exclusion is declared with the finding of a single, undisputed genuine discrepancy in the friction ridge detail between the known and latent fingerprints.
This phase continues until the prints are examined in their totality, in a cyclical procedure of continuing Evaluation, until:
"At the moment in time that it was reliably predictable that each isolated feature [friction ridge feature] I selected from the crime scene print could be readily located and found to be sequentially in agreement with the inked print." (Attributed to Pat Wertheim)
Scientific Method / Daubert Issues Addressed:
The ACE-V Evaluation phase encompasses the "Prediction", "Experimentation" and "Conclusion/Validating the Hypothesis" steps of the Scientific Method.
In formulating a decision to establish a Tentative Conclusion, the examiner applies deductive reasoning to "Predict" that an "Evaluation" of the attributes, orientation, shape, location and group relationship of the Level Two (and Level Three, if applicable) friction ridge detail will disclose sufficient information to validate the Identification.
The Evaluation phase next addresses the Scientific Method's 'Experimentation' step to search for friction ridge features which, if present, will invalidate the Identification. This action is known in the Scientific Method as 'Proving the Null Hypothesis'.
Finally, the "Conclusion/Validating the Hypothesis" step is applied. The prints are examined in their totality, and the "Evaluation" of each discernible friction ridge feature is completed. At this stage, an assessment of the correspondence in friction ridge features appearing in both impressions is made to determine if the Tentative Conclusion is true. If it is true, this validates (proves) the hypothesis, and a "Conclusion" of an Identification is effected.
Additional Insights: (Click on)
Tolerance Levels
Conclusions
Scientific Method
Prediction-added ACE-V
Copyright© 2010 Chespeake Bay Division - International Association for Identification (IAI)
After an area of consistently corresponding friction ridge features agreeing in both the known print and the latent impression is located, the examiner will formulate a decision to establish a Tentative Conclusion (made, not made, insufficient detail) that will determine an Identification, Exclusion, or an Inconclusive.
An on-going examination of the unknown to the known is performed to test this Tentative Conclusion. An evaluation is made as to the significance of the agreement or disagreement of the details. Use all the known prints that are available to you. Consider all the variations and differences in appearance noted between the prints. Judgements are made of the qualitative and quantitative agreement of the observed details in terms of their depicted image clarity and your established Tolerance levels. 'Run the print out' in terms of exploring, counting and tracing the routes of the ridges and the routes of the furrows.
An Identification is declared when there is the finding of agreement of corresponding detail in such a number and significance to preclude the possibility of the chance occurrence of that relationship in another fingerprint with no significant, unexplained differences to account for. An Exclusion is declared with the finding of a single, undisputed genuine discrepancy in the friction ridge detail between the known and latent fingerprints.
This phase continues until the prints are examined in their totality, in a cyclical procedure of continuing Evaluation, until:
"At the moment in time that it was reliably predictable that each isolated feature [friction ridge feature] I selected from the crime scene print could be readily located and found to be sequentially in agreement with the inked print." (Attributed to Pat Wertheim)
Scientific Method / Daubert Issues Addressed:
The ACE-V Evaluation phase encompasses the "Prediction", "Experimentation" and "Conclusion/Validating the Hypothesis" steps of the Scientific Method.
In formulating a decision to establish a Tentative Conclusion, the examiner applies deductive reasoning to "Predict" that an "Evaluation" of the attributes, orientation, shape, location and group relationship of the Level Two (and Level Three, if applicable) friction ridge detail will disclose sufficient information to validate the Identification.
The Evaluation phase next addresses the Scientific Method's 'Experimentation' step to search for friction ridge features which, if present, will invalidate the Identification. This action is known in the Scientific Method as 'Proving the Null Hypothesis'.
Finally, the "Conclusion/Validating the Hypothesis" step is applied. The prints are examined in their totality, and the "Evaluation" of each discernible friction ridge feature is completed. At this stage, an assessment of the correspondence in friction ridge features appearing in both impressions is made to determine if the Tentative Conclusion is true. If it is true, this validates (proves) the hypothesis, and a "Conclusion" of an Identification is effected.
Additional Insights: (Click on)
Tolerance Levels
Conclusions
Scientific Method
Prediction-added ACE-V
Copyright© 2010 Chespeake Bay Division - International Association for Identification (IAI)