How should the entire object with a plastic fingerprint be handled?

The handling of an object with a plastic fingerprint is critical to ensure the integrity of the evidence. Collecting the entire object intact is essential because a plastic fingerprint represents an impression made in a material that has retained the exact shape of the ridge patterns. Disturbing or altering the object could compromise the quality of the fingerprint, making it difficult or impossible to analyze later.

By preserving the object as a whole, the analyst can maintain the contextual details surrounding the fingerprint, which can also be important for understanding how and when the impression was made. This practice is in accordance with crime scene management protocols that emphasize careful collection and preservation of physical evidence, ensuring that it is admissible in court and useful for investigative purposes.

Other methods of handling, such as shaking the object or covering it with tape, could damage the fingerprint or obscure it, while leaving the object in place without proper documentation could risk loss or contamination of the evidence. Therefore, collecting the object intact is the best approach to ensure that the plastic fingerprint remains viable for analysis.