Footwear & Impression Evidence

Latent print examiners examine evidentiary items for the presence of impressions of friction skin. In most instances, latent prints are not readily visible and development by chemical and/or physical means is required. Detected prints are collected, preserved, and compared to any submitted known prints of victims and suspects or are searched through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

Impression examinations also include the analysis of footwear and tire tread impressions recovered as evidence from crimes scenes. These patterns link items of evidence to crime scenes. In addition, a database of outsole tread patterns has been initiated. The purpose is to identify the make/style of the submitted shoe tread impression if the shoe leaving the impression is unknown.

Analytical Methods

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