Lesson 3

Footwear Evidence

Worksheet 3.1 Introduction of footwear evidence

Footwear impressions are often discovered at the scene of the crime. This evidence can provide investigators with certain information that can assist them in locating a suspect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlmZZoLGMpM

Sample footprint Discuss with your group members What are the important features in footprints and their significance (refer to the given example)?: important features Size of footprint Shape of footprint Type and brand significance Real size of suspects foot approximate height of suspect Sex of the suspect Suspects hobbies

e .g. 1 2

(e.g. hiking shoes) 3 Depth of footprint on soft material 4 wear patterns and specific damages 5 trace materials, such as soil, tar, rocks, and paint Worksheet 3.2

Weight of suspect Walking habit of suspect Places where suspect had visited

Photographing footprints

Taking photographs for footprint are very common in a crime scene. Since many footprints are latent, the impressions may be dusted with fingerprint powder to be photographed or lifted with tape. They may also be collected using an electrostatic dust lifting process.

Turn off lights in the lab. to provide a dark background. Use light colour footprint on dark surface for better result.

discovery of footprint by oblique light Demonstration 1 Title : Use of oblique light source to observe and record latent footprint.
camera DARK BACKGROUND observer

Due to the little bit roughness caused by the footprint, light will reflect at different direction and the 3D impression of the footprint can be observed.

torch

Footprint

Want to know more ?

When parallel light rays enter flat and smooth surface (eg. Glass) the rays will reflect at the same direction with each other. The reflected image is clear and sharp. This is called regular reflection. When parallel light rays enter rough surface, they will reflect at different direction. The reflected image is blurred. This is

Oblique light is used because it can cause large degree of diffuse reflection, Regular reflection Diffuse reflection the light rays reflect from the footprint diverge in different directions and make it more visible. Analysis of a footwear impression may include comparing a suspects shoe to either photographs or castings made of dental stone (similar to plaster of paris).

called diffuse reflection.

Demonstration 2 Taking photo of a footwear impression The same footprint placing on the floor is to be shot by camera at TWO different angles (case 1 and case 2), the photos taken will be projected on the screen.
On inclined plane

Correct

Incorrect

Case 1 a1

Case 2 a2

Actual sizes of images and real shoe are not important as the ratios of dimensions are used to indicate whether there is any distortion on the images.

b1

b2

Measure the width and length of the footprints and calculate their ratios. Case 1
a Ratio : b

Case 2 =

Real shoe =

Compare the ratio of case 1 and case 2 with the ratio of the real shoe making the footprint. Comment on the accuracy of the methods in recording trace evidence in the crime scene. Suggested ans : The ratio in case 2 is very close to that of the real shoe while a significant discrepancy appears for case 1. Case 1 is a wrong method since any angle other than 90o in taking the photo will cause distortion of the image. The size and shape of the shoe may be misinterpreted Worksheet 3.3 Analysis of footwear impression Apparatus: 1 sample shoe, 1 A4 carbon paper, 1 paper clay, 3 A4 paper Experiment (i) Put on the sample shoe, then step on a carbon paper with an A4 paper underneath (both pieces of paper are put on the floor). Collect the footprint left on the A4 paper. (ii) Clean the bottom of the shoe from any dust. Take out the paper clay and make it ready for use by squeezing and pressing it on the table until it is flat and large enough to allow you to put the whole shoe on it. Press a part of the shoe on the paper clay. Collect the 3D impression casted on the paper clay.

Using the results obtained in (i) and (ii) see whether the footprint of the sample shoe match that of the suspect (the footprint of the suspect will be projected on to the screen). The shoe belongs / does not belong to the suspect. Give your reasons: _______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ______ Examples of 2D and 3D footprints:

Analysis of a footwear impression may include comparing a suspects shoe to either photographs or castings.

2D footprint on hard surface

3D footprint on mud

Additional notes for teachers Methods used in collecting footwear impressions (1) Electrostatic lifting Electrostatic lifting is a non-destructive process whereby an electric field is developed on a sheet of lifting film which attracts dust particles to the film. The dustmark left on a surface by a footwear may not be visible to the naked eye but it can often be recovered with this device.

CHARGING THE LIFTING FILM WITH A CORONA DISCHARGE

(2) Casting Evidence left via impressions can generally be recovered by using a plaster cast. Initially the impression is isolated by framing the area with a solid boundary. In some cases where the surface is not ideal for casting prior techniques can be used 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.

Worksheet 3.4 Predictions from footwear evidence The two footprints shown in Figure 1 and 2 are basically identical but there are some small differences between them:
A B C D E F G
1 2 1 2

A B C D E F G

3 4 5

3 4 5

6 7

6 7

8 9

8 9

10 11 12

10 11 12

13 14

13 14

Figure 1

Figure 2
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Identify and circle the differences in Figure 2 (Hints: there are 10 differences between the two sets of footprints.) Write down the coordinates (e.g. A1, D13 ) of the locations of the 10 differences. B2 , F2 , F5, B6, D/E6 , E7, C9 , B12, E12, E13 There are always individual characteristics on a footprint. They may be wear pattern and specific damage which are formed depending on the walking styles, walking habits and natures of ground surfaces. These characteristics may be very small but it can help individualise an impression to a specific shoe. In Figure 1 & 2, the number of grids containing the footprints image is approximately 80, as a result: We can tabulate the probability of two shoes from 2 different persons having same characteristic at the same grid as follows: Number of Characteristics 1 2 3 Explanation :
number of ways of success Probability = total number of possible outcomes

Probability of Occurrence p 1 / 80 1 / 3 200 1 / 85 333

(the time sequence of appearance of the characteristics is not important)

p 2 1 1 80 80 3200 (AB ,BA)
3 2 1 1 80 80 80 85333

For 2 characteristics ,

For 3 characteristics, (ABC,ACB,BAC,BCA,CAB,CBA)

p3

(Teacher may use dices as a example to illustrate the above calculations, e.g. probability of rowing 2 dices with an outcome of a FOUR and a SIX :

Number of ways of success : 2 (FOUR, SIX or SIX , FOUR)

Total number of possible outcomes : 6 x 6 = 36 Probability = 2/36 = 1/18 With the help of a computer, the footprint can be divided to grids as small as 1 mm , an adult shoe (of base area about 100 cm2) consists approximately 10 000 grids, we can tabulate the probability again as follows :
2

Number of Characteristics 1 2 3

Probability of Occurrence 1 / 10 000 1 / 50 000 000 1 / 166 666 666 667

According to the above calculation, justify whether the footwear evidence is reliable enough to be used in a criminal court.

It is highly unlikely that two different shoes would share all the same identifying characteristics. If 2 -3 characteristics share between the footprint in crime scene and the suspects shoe. It would be a strong evidence that the suspect had been the crime scene. Otherwise, this may eliminate the suspect as having been there.

(This study does make some assumptions, for example, that all grids are independent and that the exact number of grids will change as the shoe size increases or decreases)

Analysis of a footwear impression may include comparing a suspects shoe to either photographs or castings When individual detail is present, it is possible to individualize an impression to a specific shoe.

Want to knows more ? In probability theory, to say that two events are independent means that the occurrence of one event makes it neither more nor less probable that the other occurs. For example:

The event of getting a 6 the first time a die is rolled and the event of getting a 6 the second time are independent. If two cards are drawn with replacement from a deck of cards, the event of drawing a red card on the first trial and that of drawing a red card on the second trial are independent.

References: 1. Stone, R.S. (2006). Footwear Examinations: Mathematical Probabilities of Theoretical Individual Characteristics. Journal of Forensic Identification, 56(4), 577-599.

2. Cassidy, M. J. (1995). Footwear Identification. Oregon: Lightning Powder Company.

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Worksheet 3.5 Tracking footprints Measurement of human gait at crime scene :

Walking base (stride width)

Stride length

Step length

A thief left a series of footprints in a house after burglary. What data can we measure from the gait of the thief? Draw and label them in the figure. What can be predicted from the human gait ? Sex , height of the thief , direction of movement, walking or running, special walking habit, carrying load or not, drunken or under medication (if the gait shows instability)

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Human gaits and their implications

(1) If footprints are deep and the pace is long, rapid movement is apparent. Long strides and deep prints with toe prints deeper than heel prints indicate running (A) (2) Prints that are deep, short, and widely spaced, with signs of scuffing or shuffling indicate the person is carrying a heavy load (B). (3) Persons walking backward (C) have a short, irregular stride. The prints have an unnaturally deep toe, and soil is displaced in the direction of movement. (4) To determine the sex (D,E), we should study the size and position of the footprints. Women tend to be pigeon-toed, while men walk with their feet straight ahead or pointed slightly to the outside. Prints left by women are usually smaller and the stride is usually shorter than prints left by men.

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Lesson 3 Followup activities 1. Chemicals used in recovery of footwear marks In the beginning of this Lesson, you have watched a video about the recovery of footprints with bloodstain. The chemical used is actually called acid violet 17 ,which is a dye that can stain the protein in the blood and form a purple mark. The chemical formula of the dye is:

www.chemblink.com

Footprints stained with other substances can also be recovered or highlighted by different methods. The following table summarises a few of them: Contami nant Soil (clay) Soil (loam) Detergent Grass Stain Milk Diet Coke Blood stain Glass Black Polyethylene Wooden floor Powder Suspension Iodine Acid violet 17 Ceramic Wall Tile White Laminate Shelving Laminate Flooring PVC floor tile Fluorescence Examination Aluminium Powder Magneta Flake Powder Superglue / BY40 Surface Process

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2. The footprints formed by walking backward In Worksheet 3.5, you learn that the set of footprints pattern may vary according to the human gaits (walking styles). There were criminals that intentionally walked backward to leave the crime scene. The purpose of doing that was supposed to confuse the forensic investigator. However, careful investigation on the footprints would show that they are unnaturally deep toes comparing with the heel. The following diagram illustrates a footmark formed by walking backward on a beach:

Teacher may allow students to walk backward in the classroom and let them to feel the stress on their toes and heels with the ground. Similar results can also be obtained if we try to identify footprints on hard floor by electrostatic lifting. The lifted footprint should have denser material (dust) near the toe and less dense near the heel.

Extended reading: 1. Bodziak, W.J. (1999). Footwear Impression Evidence: Detection, Recovery, and Examination) (2nd ed.). Florida: CRC Press. 2. http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/current/review/2009_07_review02.htm (Forensic Science Communications, July 2009-Vol. 11-No. 3)

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