Fingerprinting is an extremely useful tool for forensic science and crime scene investigation. No two people have the same fingerprints. In fact, even the fingerprint of each finger on one person’s hand are completely unique. This makes fingerprints a very good identifier of a person. If a fingerprint is found at a crime, it could only make one single person. If the person has had the fingerprint recorded, then they can be quickly identified using AFIS. If the found fingerprint does not match anyone in the database, it can be compared to suspects to prove their guilt. Another good thing about fingerprints is that they are very easy to leave. I picked up a beaker carefully and put it right back down and I was still able to find three very good prints. It was not very hard to locate and lift the fingerprints off of the beaker, but I imagine it would be much harder if I did not know where the prints were. Also, fingerprints can be easily damaged or destroyed if the proper care is not taken during evidence collection. The most difficult part however, is finding a match to a fingerprint. Even with the AFIS technology, a fingerprint technician must still compare the prints by hand. This is very, very hard. Even though I knew the prints on the beaker were mine, it was difficult to find identifying parts in the print to prove that it was mine. This is probably the reason why becoming a fingerprint technician requires so much education and training.