Each step in a latent print examination has to be accountable. When a defense attorney challenges the process, the examiner has to account for it, step by step. Agencies relying on disconnected tools often find that documentation is inconsistent, manual, and difficult to defend in court.
VeriPic connects the entire latent print workflow inside a single system. Digital Evidence Manager® handles case management, file intake, and chain of custody. Digital Forensic Suite™ handles forensic image enhancement and annotation. Together, they take evidence from first import to court-ready output without a gap in the record.
The Complete Latent Print Workflow, Managed in One System
Stage 1: Evidence Intake and Setup
Latent print evidence management starts before the first image is opened. VeriPic’s Digital Evidence Manager creates the case record at intake, logging case number, case type, and creator automatically. Chain of custody documentation begins here, not after the fact.
Files are imported directly into the case. The system accepts a wide range of file types, and serial numbers are assigned on intake. The original file is preserved from the moment it enters the system and is not overwritten by downstream processing.
For cases that require dimensional accuracy, the built-in calibration tool allows examiners to set real-world scale before enhancement begins. Two reference points are marked on the image, the known measurement is entered, and the system calculates true-to-life dimensions that carry through to print output.
Stage 2: Forensic Image Enhancement and Annotation
Digital Forensic Suite runs directly inside Digital Evidence Manager, which means examiners do not leave the evidence management system to perform enhancement work. Actions taken on the image are logged as part of the case record from the moment the file is opened.
FFT filtering converts the image to a frequency spectrum, allowing examiners to target and remove repeating background patterns from surfaces like fabric, tile, and textured plastic without affecting ridge detail. Brightness and contrast, curves, black-and-white conversion, channel isolation, and invert are available as additional adjustments that can be combined based on what each image requires. For a closer look at how these tools apply to real casework, see Forensic Image Enhancement Use Cases.
All adjustments are non-destructive. Each tool applies as a layer on top of the original image and can be toggled on and off independently, so the original is not modified at any point in the process. Annotation tools allow examiners to add shapes, arrows, and text as separate layers on top of the enhanced image, which do not alter the underlying image data and can be removed at any stage.
When the examiner saves, the enhanced version is timestamped and stored alongside the preserved original. Both remain accessible in the case record.
Stage 3: Court Preparation
When a case is ready for court, output includes the image at true scale with case number, import user, and camera metadata. The full case is exportable for chain-of-custody transfer or court submission.
For a direct comparison of digital and manual latent print examination, see Digital vs. Manual Latent Print Comparison.
Audit Trail: Always On
Actions are automatically logged throughout the workflow, including who opened each file, who saved it, and when, at both the case level and the file level. The audit trail is accessible and reviewable without additional preparation, and no manual documentation is required. It is not a separate log examiners have to maintain. It is built into how the system works.
Why It Matters for Latent Print Examiners
Non-destructive by design. Originals are preserved at import, and enhancement, annotation, and calibration do not touch the source file. If a defense attorney asks to see the original, it is there.
Actions logged automatically. The audit trail records who accessed, enhanced, and saved each file at both the case and file level, so examiners can account for their steps without reconstructing them from memory.
Court-ready output. Images print at true scale with case number and camera metadata, exportable for court submission or chain-of-custody transfer.
Enhancement inside the evidence system. General-purpose editing tools exist outside the forensic workflow, with no case record and no chain of custody. DFS keeps enhancement work inside the system, tied to the case from the moment the examiner opens the image.
Download the Workflow Overview
A one-page reference covering each step from evidence intake to court-ready output, built for latent print examiners. Printable and shareable.
Digital Forensic Suite™ requires access to VeriPic’s Digital Evidence Manager.® VeriPic® is a registered trademark and Digital Forensic Suite™ is a trademark of VeriPic, Inc.
