Latent Print Certification
Latent Print Certification Test Statistics
While statistics don’t always tell the whole story, it’s important to provide a perspective to show how the Latent Print Certification Program has evolved from its inception back on August 4th, 1977 to the present day.
For historical interest, when the Latent Print Certification Program was created, applicants were required to satisfy the following criteria;
- Each applicant must have two full years work with latent prints and one year with inked prints, or three years with latent prints.
- Must have completed a minimum of 40 hours of formal classroom training in latent prints, and the same in inked prints.
- Must have two letters of endorsement, one from a superior in the applicant’s department, and one from a Certified Latent Print Examiner.
- Must complete the certification test in a satisfactory manner, if waiver not granted.
A ‘waiver of testing’ was granted to those individuals that met the first three points in the above criteria and could furnish the Certification Board with a transcript of testimony reflecting their ability to testify satisfactorily as an expert witness in latent print matters. Those applicants that satisfied the criteria received the ‘waivers’ and are whom referred to as being “Grandfathered” into the program.
The total number of examiners that were “Grandfathered” during the first full year of the program was 932.
The ‘Grandfather’ period ended one year later on August 4, 1978. As of January 1st, 2008, 333 of those initial Grandfathers remain currently on our roll of Certified Latent Print Examiners.
All applicants since August 1978 have been required to undergo examination testing.
Since then, the pass rate for applicants has hovered around 51% and solidified the belief that it was a challenging test, with only one in every two applicants actually achieving their certification. Consequently, this led to the perception that the Latent Print Certification process was more of a test of excellence, with only the best being able to pass, as opposed to a general test of an examiner’s competency.
Since the Program began in 1977, up to December 2005;
| Total number of applicants who have applied for certification | 2457 | |
| Total number of applicants tested | 1481 | |
| Applicants who have passed the test | 763 | (51.5%) |
| Total number of Certified Latent Print Examiners | 743 |
While all applicants should possess the requisite skills and experience in comparing difficult latent prints, the pressure of completing these comparisons within a restricted time limit was a frequent complaint from those taking the test. While this may be partially indicative of why the pass rate was only 51%, it’s likely that many more were simply not ready to take the test.
With respect to the concerns expressed regarding the time factor, the Certification Board increased the time limit from 6 ½ hours to a full 8 hours in October 2005, with the statistics as follows;
Since the Program began in 1977, up to December 2008;
| Total number of applicants who have applied for certification | 2683 | |
| Total number of applicants tested | 1713 | |
| Applicants who have passed the test | 933 | (54.46%) |
| Total number of Certified Latent Print Examiners (2008) | 772 |
(Note: The difference between the number of those who have passed the test and those who are presently certified relates to those who have not renewed their certification)
It is important to note that while the overall pass rate since 1977 shows a marginal increase to 54.46%, the pass rate of those applicants tested since October 2005 is significantly higher and is reflected as follows;
TESTING SINCE OCTOBER 1st, 2005 THROUGH DECEMBER 31st, 2008 (8 HOUR TEST)
| Total number of applicants tested | 259 |
| Applicants who have passed the test | 185 |
| Pass rate since October 2005 (8-hour Test) | 71.42% |
CALENDAR YEAR 2006
| Total number of applicants tested | 91 |
| Applicants who have passed the test | 64 |
| Pass rate since October 2005 (8-hour Test) | 70.32% |
CALENDAR YEAR 2007
| Total number of applicants tested | 73 |
| Applicants who have passed the test | 59 |
| Pass rate since October 2005 (8-hour Test) | 80.82% |
CALENDAR YEAR 2008
| Total number of applicants tested | 72 |
| Applicants who have passed the test | 50 |
| Pass rate since October 2005 (8-hour Test) | 69.40% |
Current Certified Latent Print Examiners as of June 1st, 2009 - 773