Something to Think About

'Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he

leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness
against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but
his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the
tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or
semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear
mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not
forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment.
It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual
evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot
perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human
failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its
value. ' -Professor Edmond Locard
Your Thoughts
How do you think Locards
statement has affected the
way we investigate crime
today?
Team up with one classmate.
How do your responses
compare? Do you agree with
your classmates answer?
Cheiloscopy
The Study of Lip Prints
Cheiloscopy
Cheiloscopy: is the study of lip print
patterns.
Research has shown that lip prints can be
considered unique based on several
factors.
Line patterns on the lips
Shape of the lips
Point by point differences between individuals
Lip Print Classification
How can Cheiloscopy be Used?
Everyone has lips.
Lip prints are unique to an individual.
Lip prints left behind at a crime scene can
be compared to those of the suspects.
Difficulties
There are some issues that make lip prints
less reliable than fingerprints.
People can change the shape of their lips.
Lips are not commonly touched to as many
different kinds of surfaces as fingers.
Other Uses for Lip Prints
Lip Prints made with lipstick can be
analyzed to identify the lipstick used.
Lipstick is a blend of different chemicals and
pigments.
Each lipstick brand and color contain different
mixtures of these chemicals.
How Can We Compare Lipstick?
Paper Chromatography: is a method used
to separate the pigments in a substance.
Lipstick found at a crime scene can be
compared to known samples using paper
chromatography.
Paper Chromatography
A sample of the lipstick is applied to a paper
medium.
The end of the paper is dipped into a liquid
solvent (ex. Water, alcohol, acetone)
As the solvent travels up the paper, pigments are
carried with it.
A pattern will be formed based on the solubility
and mobility of the pigments in the lipstick.
Tomorrow
In tomorrows class we will examine lipstick
found at a crime scene using paper
chromatography.