On Apr 20, 2023, Brian Danielson, school officer for the Tooele Community Learning Center (CLC), was asked to help students learn fingerprint lifting skills. 

Jannette Toons, pharmacy technician and this year’s news biotech and medical forensics teacher called upon Danielson to demonstrate and better explain to medical forensics students how to efficiently dust and lift fingerprints. Danielson taught how to use other powders such as magnetic powder, black and white powder. 

Danielson said that part of fingerprinting that everyone struggles with is “Probably getting too many bubbles in their lift and not working out the bubbles before they actually lift it off the surface.” After Danielson’s demonstration, students got to practice fingerprinting on glass surfaces, diet Coke bottles, and countertop surfaces. 

Sydnee Sheerwood, Tooele senior, said her favorite part was using the duster and seeing the prints appear. Ava Kelley, Grantsville junior, said what she learned from the fingerprinting lab was “Not to use too much powder and be gentle.” After a couple of attempts, Kelley finally lifted a good print from her tape and placed it on her index card or the assignment.