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Exclusive: New Study Shows Accuracy Of Fingerprint Analysis

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) --  You've likely seen crime scene investigators working their magic, dusting charcoal carbon powder and lifting fingerprints to use in criminal investigations.

Once the crime scene techs wrap up, a team of fingerprint examiners go to work identifying the only person in the world who matches that print.

In the Miami-Dade Police crime lab, examiner Brian Cerchiai eyeballs fingerprint cards, but he and his team also match prints with the help of computer programs, that magnify the print helping them look at the details of the ridges.

Click here to watch Natalia Zea's report. 

They utilize a $20,000 specialized laser to help otherwise invisible prints fluoresce on guns and household items like magazines.

To pull out clear prints from tape, examiners apply an inky gunk and wash it off to expose a print underneath. That is submitted into evidence and preserved.

Even in this high-tech DNA age, fingerprints are still heavily used to prove suspects were at crime scenes or touched weapons.

Detectives told CBS4's Natalia Zea said one of the key benefits to having fingerprints as evidence is the turnaround time. It can take investigators just a couple of hours to pull a print and make an identification, but when it comes to DNA, that can take months, if not years.

To test the accuracy and validity of fingerprint analysis, Brian helped conduct the Miami-Dade Police Department's four-year national study of 109 fingerprint examiners.

"The error rate was zero for this study," said Cerchiai.

The fingerprint examiners correctly matched every single print in the tests, with only 3 percent of the inaccurate matches caught by a second examiner, which is part of normal protocol at crime labs across the country.

Brian believes the study will be used in courts, as further proof fingerprint identifications can be used to convict.

During the thousands of print matches he's made, Cerchiai said he's always remained focused on the science.

"Though we do work for the police department, we really need to keep that open mind. We're objective when we do our work," said Cerchiai.

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