Orange County Sheriff's Office purchases technology to pull fingerprints, assist with investigations

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff's Office might soon be able to solve more crimes and even solve some cold case murders, thanks to new technology.

The department will be the first agency in Florida, and one of the first in the country, to use a new forensic method to pull fingerprints.

Officials are excited for the technology, as it erases the previous dilemma that checking for fingerprints could destroy any possible DNA on a crime scene and if investigators checked for DNA, it could erase prints.

The new technology, called Recover Latent Fingerprint Technology, will help investigators find fingerprints on things that were difficult or impossible to get prints on in the past.

A machine will be able to crystallize powder in a glass container and reveal prints when the chemical begins to evaporate.

"I think once we educate everybody on what this machine does, I don't anticipate any significant challenges," said Lt. Tim Farmer of the OCSO.

Investigators believe it will catch more criminals and make the community safer.

"It's just giving an opportunity for detectives to hold people accountable for the crimes that have been committed," Farmer said. "It's an opportunity for them to bring closure to the families."

The department anticipates getting the machine in September.

Officials will have to train with it to determine its accuracy, because defense attorneys will be asking in court about how reliable it is.

You can view more on how the technology works below: