Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Practice Exam

What is needed for a print to be considered a patent print?

1. A residue must come from a person’s fingers

2. It must be created using a specific ink

3. A foreign substance must be present

4. It requires lighting to be visible

The correct answer is: A foreign substance must be present

For a print to be classified as a patent print, a foreign substance must indeed be present. Patent prints are distinct in that they are visible to the naked eye and typically occur when a finger comes into contact with a medium, such as grease, dirt, or ink, which leaves an impression. The presence of this foreign material is what makes the print stand out and easily recognizable as a fingerprint. While it is true that fingerprints generally come from a person’s skin (which might suggest the relevance of options related to the source, such as human fingers), the fundamental characteristic of a patent print is the visibility created by a substance that adheres to surfaces. Therefore, the focus on the foreign substance is what fundamentally differentiates patent prints from other types of fingerprints, such as latent prints, which are not visible without enhancement. The other choices involve specifics that are not requirements for patent prints. For instance, the type of ink used or the necessity of lighting does not define a print as a patent print; rather, it is the presence of a foreign substance that is paramount in determining its classification.