Forensic science
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Forensic footwear evidence
Questioned document examination
Cybertechnology in forensics
Information forensics · Computer forensics
Related disciplines
Forensic engineering
Forensic materials engineering
Forensic polymer engineering
Fire investigation
Vehicular accident reconstruction
People in Forensics
Auguste Ambroise Tardieu
Edmond Locard
Bill Bass
Gil Grissom
Related articles
Crime scene · CSI Effect
Trace evidence · Skid mark
Use of DNA in forensic entomology
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Forensic footwear Examiniation is the study of footwear impressions evidence created. Such evidence is used in legal proceedings to determine the identities of persons at the crime scene. Footwear evidence is often the most abundant form of evidence at a crime scene and in some cases can prove to be as specific as a fingerprint. Initially investigators will look to identify the make and model of the shoe or trainer which made an impression. This can be done visually or by comparison with evidence in a database both methods focus heavily on pattern recognition and brand or logo marks. Information about the owner of any footwear can be gained from the analysis of wear patterns which are dependent on angle of footfall and weight distribution. Detailed examination of footwear impressions can help to link a specific piece of footwear to a footwear imprint as each shoe will have unquie wear characteristics. Download high resolution version (1760x1164, 1116 KB)Public domain. ... Forensics redirects here. ... Forensic pathology is a branch of medicine concerned with determining cause of death, usually for criminal law cases and civil law cases in some jurisdictions. ... Forensic dentistry or forensic odontology, the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence, which will be then presented in the interest of justice. ... Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology and human osteology (the study of the human skeleton) in a legal setting, most often in criminal cases where the victims remains are more or less skeletonized. ... Forensic entomology is the science and study of insects and other arthropods related to legal investigations. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality of psychiatry. ... This article is about human fingerprints. ... Forensic Accounting is the specialty practice area of accounting that describes engagements that result from actual or anticipated disputes or litigation. ... For other uses, see Ballistics (disambiguation). ... Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is one of several specialties in the field of forensic science. ... Forensic genetics refers to the application of genetic science to legal matters. ... Forensic toxicology is the use of toxicology and other disciplines such as analytical chemistry, pharmacology and clinical chemistry to aid medicolegal investigation of death, poisoning, and drug use. ... Questioned document examination (QDE) is known by many names including forensic document examination, document examination, diplomatics, handwriting examination, and sometimes handwriting analysis, although the latter name is not often used as it may be confused with graphology. ... Information Forensics is the science of investigation into systemic processes that produce information. ... The simple definition of computer forensics - Chris L.T. Brown, Computer Evidence Collection and Preservation, 2006 Thus, it is more than the technological, systematic inspection of the computer system and its contents for evidence or supportive evidence of a civil wrong or a criminal act. ... Forensic engineering is the investigation of materials, products, structures or components that fail or do not operate/function as intended, causing personal injury for example. ... Fire investigation, sometimes referred to as origin and cause investigation, is the analysis of fire-related incidents. ... Vehicular accident reconstructions are often conducted by specialized units in law enforcement agencies, to answer questions about automobile accidents, such as who was driving, where were the victims seated, were they using seat belts? Through accident reconstruction, rigorous analysis is done, with expert witnesses that can present results in trial. ... The son of French artist and mapmaker Ambroise Tardieu, Auguste Ambroise Tardieu (1818-1879) became the pre-eminent forensic medical scientist of the mid-19th century. ... Dr. Edmond Locard (1877-1966) was a pioneer in forensic science who became known as the Sherlock Holmes of France. ... Dr. William M. Bass is a U.S. forensic anthropologist, renowned for his research on human osteology and human decomposition. ... Gilbert Gil Grissom, Ph. ... A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place such as molestation, rape or illegal turnip smoking, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by [[forensics|forensic scientists] for example the reknowned criminal investigator and skilled forensic scientist, who is unfortunately... The CSI Effect (sometimes referred to as the CSI syndrome) is a reference to the phenomenon of popular television shows such as the CSI franchise, the Law & Order Franchise and Crossing Jordan raising crime victims and jury members real-world expectations of forensic science, especially crime scene investigation and DNA... Trace evidence is evidence that is found at a crime scene in small but measurable amounts. ... Skid marks on an asphalt road In motoring terms, a skid mark is the residue tire rubber leaves when a car brakes hard. ... A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place such as molestation, rape or illegal turnip smoking, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by [[forensics|forensic scientists] for example the reknowned criminal investigator and skilled forensic scientist, who is unfortunately... This article is about human fingerprints. ... For other uses, see Shoe (disambiguation). ... Trainer may refer to: An aircraft trainer used for training pilots. ... This article is about computing. ... For other uses, see Brand (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Logo (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wear (disambiguation). ... Weight distribution refers to the apportioning of weight within a vehicle, but is used most often to refer to cars, airplanes, and watercraft. ...

Types of footwear evidence

Footwear evidence can come in at least 3 forms, footwear outsole impression evidence, footwear insole impressions and footwear trace evidence.

Footwear outsole impression

Footwear outsole impressions are impressions left on an object that was caused by contact with a piece of footwear. These can left on the ground or raised surface by persons treading over it, left on doors or walls by persons attempting to kick or climb over a wall or even left on other persons after being kicked or stomped on.

Latent footwear outsole impressions:

Latent impressions are caused impressions that are not easily visible to naked eye. Such prints can be on many different surfaces such as floor tiles, concrete or even carpet. Latent impression may not be easily visible to the naked eye and its detection may require the use of additional specialized light sources such as portable UV lighting. Recovery typically includes photography as well as lifting with "gel" or "electrostatic" dust lifters.

Footwear Insole imprints

Footwear insole imprints are imprints left in the inside of footwear caused by contact from the person’s foot. Analysis of the insole imprints can be used to link a person(s) to a piece of footwear.

Footwear trace evidence

Footwear trace evidence is trace evidence that is recovered from footwear. Types of trace evidence that could be recovered include skin, glass fragments, body hair, fibres from clothing or carpets, soil particles, dust and bodily fluids. The study of this trace evidence could be used to link a piece of footwear to a location or owner.

Detection of footwear evidence

Detection of impression in ambient lighting

Detection with forensic light sources

Detection with electrostatic lifting devices

Detection with chemical enhancement

Recovery of footwear impression evidence

Footwear evidence occurs most often as either footwear impressions left in a soft surface, such as mud or as dust deposits, which are difficult for the human eye to detect. At violent crimescenes footmarks can be left as a result of a person standing in blood and subsequently trailing it as they move around the scene. Look up Soft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about a type of online computer game. ... Look up dust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Photography

Lifting

Footwear impressions can be lifted from surfaces with tools such as adhesive lifters, gelatin lifters or electrostatic lifting devices.

Casting

Evidence left via impressions can generally be recovered utilizing a plaster cast. Initially the impression is isolated by framing the area with a solid boundary. Following this a plaster mix can be gently poured inside the frame, it is generally considered not best practice to pour directly onto the impression. In some cases where the surface is not ideal for casting prior techniques can be utilised to gain a better cast of the impression. Sand can often be fixed in place by applying an aerosol resin or glue although hair spray is often used. Wet mud impressions can be dried using a combination of pipetting water from the surface and applying hot air, often in the form of a hair dryer. This article is about the building material. ... This article is about the manufacturing process. ... Isolation can refer to: Isolation as a psychological phenomenon. ... The term framing can have several possible meanings: framing (telecommunication), where it relates to synchronization framing (economics), where it relates to rational choice theory framing (World Wide Web), where it relates to the use of multiple panes within a web page framing (communication theory), where it relates to the contextual... For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ... Aerosol, is a term derived from the fact that matter floating in air is a suspension (a mixture in which solid or liquid or combined solid-liquid particles are suspended in a fluid). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up glue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the laboratory instrument. ... Categories: Stub | Hairdressing ...

Examination of footwear impressions evidence:

Footwear impression can be used by examiners to obtain information the following information:

Fig. 1 Comparison of shoeprint and recovered shoe.

Footwear manufacturer, model and size: Examination of footwear impression for "Class Characteristics" such as general outsole patterns and shapes, footwear design features and feature markings can help examiners identify the manufacturer , model and size of the footwear. This Information can be used to help profile the suspect and provide leads on who may have bought or worn the footwear which created the impression.
Approximate height and wearer: Measurements of footwear impression dimensions can be used to provide the approximate height of a suspect. With shoeprint size information, investigators can refer to statistical data to approximate the height of the person since shoeprint vs. height relationship follows a normal distribution. Height can also be approximate by stride length which could be measured from a set of footwear impressions.
Activity of wearer when imprint was made: Analysis of a plastic footwear impression can also be used help determine the activity of the wearing when the imprint was made. The footwear imprint left by person is different when they are walking, running or carry heavy loads. A footwear impression left by running person will typically deeper in the heel and toe sections of the shoeprint. A person carrying a heavy load such as a body will cause deeper prints than a person not carrying anything.
Establish link between footwear impression and specific piece of footwear: A specific piece of footwear can be linked to a specific footwear impression with careful analysis. Every piece of footwear will show different amounts of tread wear, different amounts of damage in the form of tiny cuts and nicks. These unique characteristics will also show on the impression left by the footwear. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 539 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1046 × 1163 pixel, file size: 228 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 539 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1046 × 1163 pixel, file size: 228 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Limitations of footwear evidence

The Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski, was known to keep shoes with smaller soles attached to the base in order to confuse investigators about the size of the suspect's feet [1]. Unabomber is a nickname applied to three people: Theodore Kaczynski, an American terrorist. ...

Footwear databases

Forensic investigators can use computerized footwear databases to quickly compare the class characteristics between footwear impression and outsole profile of footwear outsoles stored in the database. This greatly reduced the time required to match shoeprint to

Examples include the Footwear Intelligence Technology (FIT) launched by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in February 2007. Such systems contains information on thousands of footwear patterns with daily updates from both manufacturers and police forces. Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

External links

• The Forensic Photoshop Blog
• Scientific Working Group on Shoeprint and Tire Tread Evidence (SWGTREAD)