Carl Bessman

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is working with scientists from Iowa State's Institute for Physical Research and Technology (IPRT) to make DCI's crime lab more efficient, said Carl Bessman, criminologist with the Iowa Crime Laboratory.

"Basically, [Iowa State has] the time and space to invest in research problems," Bessman said.

Since the summer of 1999, IPRT scientists have been developing different methods of analyzing forensic evidence.

Currently, they are working on improving the fingerprint development chamber to provide greater control in detecting and receiving fingerprints from crime-scene evidence.

"They are doing research on developing fingerprints using a vacuum instead of heat to vaporize the glue," Bessman said.

He said the heat process is done by adding glue to the evidence, vaporizing it with heat and allowing the vapors to condense on the surface to form a white deposit which can decompose the glue.Then fluorescent dye is then applied to make the fingerprints more visible and ready to be photographed.

The new fingerprinting process, which Bessman said should be finished by late September, will use a vacuum to draw air out of the chamber, causing the glue to vaporize without being heated.

Experts believe this will speed up the process, but one of the IPRT scientists working on the project admitted more work needs to be done.

One of the 11 witnesses who testified Thursday was Carl Bessman , a criminologist with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

He connected Memmer to palm prints lifted from electronics items stolen from a South Van Buren Street apartment in which the bodies of two women were found.

( The two palm prints ) were made by one in the same person.That is an absolute certainty , Bessman said.

Bessman was less certain about a footprint found on Dalton's coat.The partial print was similar in design to Memmer's right Nike Airwalk shoe , he said , but there were no distinctive characteristics.

There are other shoes that may have left that impression , Bessman said.