S Folinsky

When I was in practice, I would sometimes hear the refrain "how will they know?" In these forums, I've sometimes seen the question come up in the context of people with checkered pasts wanting to travel to the US.

Accordingly, I find this article in today's New York Times of interest.

Of particular interest to me was the fact that he was located by one fingerprint -- on his Portugese ID card.

DavidLemon

Maybe you could copy the article in as I'm not wanting to subscribe to read it. Whilst it may be worth it as you have not yet once posted anything that was not worth reading

BILDER

WTH are you talking about? I can read it just fine. I definitely don't subscribe to the NYT!

ljaw2002uk

I can also read it without issue, but the story is also on the BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15085289

ian-mstm

That would be against the site rules - which, I'm sure, you already know as you agreed to them prior to posting!

Ian

DavidLemon

I click on the link using my iPad and it takes me to a login page. Will check it out at work tomorrow

BILDER

Oh, I see. I really want an iPad. bit of an Apple fanboy I'm afraid.

Michelmas

Your OP is a little misleading. It details the case of a murderer and hijacker that had a federal task force created to track him down.

This is not the same as your run of the mill "thug" who's taking a two week vacation to Florida and is concerned with the routine POE checks catching them out.

ljaw2002uk

But still pretty damn interesting, a fingerprint on a Portugese identity card, and the FBI got him. There is definitely some "connected up" stuff going on there.

crg

I think the point is that technology and international sharing of information has increased and will likely continue to increase. It's even possible that Portugal has digitized all of such cards/prints for their 9 million adults and shared them.

S Folinsky

NY Times has limited free access to 20 articles a month.

DavidLemon

I have managed to see said article now from my computer in the office, and have identified what could have been the cause of my issue last night.

On the computer, once i clicked on your link, the first thing it shows is an advert, and in the top left corner it says skip this ad. Did this and went straight to your article.

This was not what was displayed on the iPad, i was just taken to a login page.

Sometimes iPads just dont cut it

Duncan Roberts

I know this is not quite the same thing but it is kind of related. I have a friend in the UK who worked for a window company. A long time back he we working on a job repairing a fire damaged house. During the job happened upon a CD in a pile of junk and figured that it was fair game to take. Not the smartest thing to do but he did it. A few days later the owner had figured out what had happened and made a police complaint so he was taken down to the police station and fingerprinted. The charges were dropped because I guess the homeowner had claimed the CD on the insurance claim so didn't own it and the insurance company didn't care or something like that so he was let go but his fingerprints were still in the system. His company reprimanded him for being a dumbass but kept him on. A year or so later he was arrested for a burglary on a warehouse because his fingerprints were on a window at the scene of the crime. The window in question was one he had replaced the week before and it had just never been cleaned. His prints were pulled off it and they got a match in the system from the time he was questioned.

S Folinsky

Out of idle curiosity, was your friend convicted?

Pollyana

Mmmm, interesting one, have to wonder for starters why the prints from the original case weren't destroyed........?