Big Picture in Focus: ULOc.

Evaluate the process of chemical examination of

question document as well as shoe and foot print, macro-etching, liquor and also
the concept of toxicology.

Metalanguage

1. Impression evidence includes any markings produced when one object

comes into contact with another, leaving behind some kind of indentation or
print. Such evidence encountered includes footwear impressions, tire marks,
and markings created by tools and similar instruments.

2. MACRO-ETCHING - The examination of the serial number of engine and

chassis of a motor vehicle by a crime laboratory Technician by means of
applying chemicals solution on the said serial numbers to determine whether
there is tampering and or possible restoration of the tampered serial numbers.

3. Alcohol breath-testing devices use the amount of alcohol in exhaled breath

to calculate the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood, also known as blood
alcohol concentration (BAC).

4. Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry,

pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of
chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and
treating exposures to toxins and toxicants.
Essential Knowledge

Lesson 3

Shoe Print and Tire Impression

Footwear and tire tracks can be deposited on almost any surface, from paper to
the human body. Prints are divided into three types: visible, plastic and latent. Impression
Evidence.

Impression evidence includes any markings produced when one object comes
into contact with another, leaving behind some kind of indentation or print. Such evidence
encountered includes footwear impressions, tyre marks, and markings created by tools
and similar instruments.

A visible print is a transfer of material from the shoe or tire to the surface. This
type can be seen by the naked eye without additional aids. For example, bloody shoe
prints left on flooring or tracks left by muddy tires on a driveway.
 A plastic print is a three-dimensional impression left on a soft surface. This
includes shoe or tire tracks left in sand, mud or snow.

A latent print is one that is not readily visible to the naked eye. This type is created
through static charges between the sole or tread and the surface. Examiners or
investigators use powders, chemicals or alternate light sources to find these prints.
Examples include shoeprints detected on a tile or hardwood floor, window sill, or metal
counter, or tire tracks detected on road surfaces, driveways or sidewalks.

Tire Impression
 Tire track impressions are classified as pattern evidence because the tire
track impressions leave behind a unique pattern. Just like shoe impressions can help
narrow down, the brand, style and size, Tire tracks have the ability to do the same thing.

How Samples are Collected in footmarks and tire marks

Examiners use several methods for collecting footwear and tire track evidence
depending on the type of impression found. For impressions in soil, snow or other soft
surfaces, casting is the most commonly used collection method. For imprints, examiners
generally try to collect the entire object containing the imprint, such as a whole sheet of
paper or cardboard with a shoe print. When that is not possible, for instance, if the print
is on a bank counter, the examiner would use a lifting technique to transfer the imprint to
a medium that can be sent to the laboratory.

Casts are created of footwear impressions to preserve them and allow for
comparison and analysis.

As with any evidence found at a crime scene, shoeprints and tire tracks must be
properly documented, collected and preserved in order to maintain the integrity of the
evidence. Impression evidence is easily damaged, so steps must be taken to avoid
damage to the evidence. This includes securing and documenting the scene prior to
collecting any evidence.

In the case of impression evidence, general photographs of the evidence location

in relation to the rest of the scene are taken, along with high-resolution images of the
individual imprints or impressions. Examiners may use alternate light sources or chemical
enhancers to capture as much detail as possible, especially with latent imprints.

Properly photographing impressions is crucial. Since there is only a slight

difference between different shoe sizes, if the photographs are not taken at a 90° angle
to the impression, then the true size cannot be produced in order to compare to the actual
shoe.

Whenever possible, impression evidence is collected as is and submitted to the

laboratory for examination. For shoeprints and tire tracks that cannot be picked up,
various lifting techniques are used to recover the evidence. These include:

Adhesive lifter - a heavy coating of adhesive lifts the imprint from smooth, non-
delicate surfaces such as tile or hardwood floors, metal counters, etc. It is usually used
in conjunction with fingerprint powders.

Gelatin lifter - a sheet of rubber with a low-adhesive gelatin layer on one side that
can lift prints from almost any surface, including porous, rough, curved and textured
surfaces. It is less tacky and more flexible than an adhesive lifter, allowing it to pick up a
dusty shoeprint on a cardboard box, for example, but not tear the surface of the box.

Electrostatic dust-print lifting device - a tool that electrostatically charges

particles within dust or light soil, which are then attracted and bonded to a lifting film. This
method is best for collecting dry or dusty residue impressions on almost any surface,
even the skin of a cadaver.

Any plastic, or three-dimensional, footwear or tire impressions can be collected by

casting. Casting uses a powdered stone material, such as dental stone, that can be mixed
with water and poured into the impression. When it dries, this method creates a three-
dimensional model of the impression.

Imprints and impressions may be further processed to enhance or bring out

additional minute details. For example, a digital enhancement program such as Adobe
Photoshop® can be used to improve the quality of a photographed tire track. Fingerprint
powders and chemical stains or dyes can enhance image color or increase the contrast
against the background. This enables lifted or casted evidence to be photographed or
scanned.
 A faint bloody shoe print on linoleum is
enhanced by treatment with a chemical,
BLUESTAR®, to allow a more detailed
photograph to be taken of the evidence.
(Courtesy of Erik Savicke, Boston PD)

Comparison samples are usually taken from suspects or suspect vehicles. Shoe
samples should be packaged to avoid cross-contamination and tire samples should
remain on the vehicle.

A reference print from a tire is captured by inking the tire and driving over paper.

Soil Analysis
 In many cases, forensic scientists are asked to find a link between a suspect and
the crime scene. In order to do this, scientists compare sample materials from the crime
scene with samples found on the suspect’s clothing or in the suspect’s house. Often, the
sample material of comparison is soil.

Density Gradient Method

A thorough analysis is required to determine whether two samples of soil

have the same origin. One way of examining the soil is the density gradient method. In
this method, a cylinder is filled with various solutions. At the bottom of the cylinder is a
solution with high density and at the top is a solution with low density; densities gradually
decrease in between. The soil sample is then placed in the cylinder. The soil sinks
through the solutions of lighter density until it reaches a place where the density of the
solution matches the particle density. When this happens, those particles of the soil
remain suspended there. Thus, the particles of the soil create bands in the cylinder. The
bands represent the varying densities of the particles that make up the soil sample.

Soil samples from the same origin will produce very similar bands through
the density gradient method. This is due to the fact that large deposits of soil have a fairly
uniform composition in regards to percentages of various particles and the density of
each type of particle is always the same, since density is an intensive property.

Therefore, a sample of soil from the crime scene and a sample of soil found
on the clothing of a suspect may be compared by the density gradient method. If both
samples produce similar bands, they likely come from the same source. If they produce
different bands, it is unlikely that they come from the same source.
 The bands created by various particles are clearly visible in this picture, depicting
the density gradient method1.

Qualitative Observation of Physical Properties

Soil samples can also be analyzed through qualitative observation of physical

properties. Two samples can be compared on the basis of color, texture, particle shape,
and mineral composition. The color of the soil samples can be viewed simply by the
human eye. However, it is crucial that both samples are at the same moisture level, since
moisture can alter color. Often, scientists heat to dryness or add excess moisture to both
samples to make sure that the colors can be compared accurately. The texture of the
soil depends on the ratio of sand, silt, and clay. The terms sand, silt, and clay are based
on particle size, not chemical differences. Another point of comparison is shape. Soil
particles have typically been classified as angular, sub-rounded, or well-rounded. Soil
samples are also examined on the basis of mineral composition. Scientists will use a
microscope to determine which mineral(s) make up the soil. This is a reliable method
because the color and shape of a mineral can be quite distinctive. If all these physical
properties match up for two samples of soil, it is highly likely that they have the same
origin. If these properties differ, then it is unlikely that the two samples have the same
origin.
 The three different classifications of shape for soil particles

Macro-Etching Examination

Pieces of metal frequently play an important part in the solution of a crime. At times
a physical examination or a chemical analysis will suffice, but very often a study of the
fine internal structure of the metal is also of considerable importance. Although in a given
sample a chemical analysis will disclose the percentage of each element present, it tells
nothing about the way these elements are combined or arranged within the specimen. It
is the form, size, and arrangement of the various microstructural constituents which are
of particular significance to the forensic metallurgist.
 Generally, scientists will polish the metal with a sand-paper type material to
remove chips of metal from the surface. Next, they will apply chemical reagents, typically
acids, to etch the metal until the number is restored. The scientist will select the proper
chemical based on the variety of metal surface. For example, different chemicals are
used to etch aluminum, zinc and steel alloys.
Chemicals/Reagents Used in Macro-etching examination

In crimes against property stealing of motor vehicles, firearms and jewelry

criminals obliterate the identification marks to hide identities of the item. To restore
tampered serial number of firearm and chassis or engine number of vehicle macro-
etching is done in this process.

There is a specific chemical used for etching that varies on the type of metal where
the letters and numbers are punched.

In iron and steel Cupric Chloride solution, Nitric Acid, and a mixture of 50%
Cupric Chloride and 50% Hydrochloric acid.
In aluminum, it requires Acid Ferric Chloride and Nitric Acid while Zinc alloys
require 10% aqueous solution of Sodium Hydroxide.

Liquor Test (Alcohol Determination Test)

 Alcohol is the most common drug used in the community and is the subject of the
most testing for its presence either in blood or in breath. Breath analysis can provide a
good estimation of the blood alcohol concentration even though the concentration of
alcohol in air is approximately 2300-times lower than in blood. Simple calculations can
be conducted to estimate a likely blood alcohol concentration at a given time point and
the likely removal of alcohol from the body.

The detection of involatile metabolites can be used to assess exposure to alcohol

over longer periods of time including assessment of alcoholism in hair tests for ethyl
glucuronide. Alcohol produces a variety of physiological effects that will be quite serious
at blood alcohol concentration above 1.5 g/l, including memory and other cognitive
deficits, disinhibition, propensity to violence and poor coordination.

Alcohol breath-testing devices use the amount of alcohol in exhaled breath to

calculate the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood, also known as blood alcohol
concentration (BAC).
The Alcohol Analysis Laboratory

Blood, urine and other body fluids are analyzed to detect and quantify any alcohol
or other volatile substances present. Interpretative evidence is given pertaining to blood
alcohol concentrations and the operation of breath-testing equipment. Liquor, mash and
illicit spirits are analyzed.

Scientific support to the breath and blood alcohol testing programs of Police
agencies; training police officers as Breathalyzer Technicians and assisting in the training
of police officers as operators and calibrators of approved screening devices; analyzing
body fluids, mainly blood samples, for alcohol and other volatile substances; giving expert
testimony to the courts on the pharmacology of alcohol and on the theory and mode of
operation of breath testing instruments.
These tests are used by police to indirectly measure how much alcohol is in a
person’s blood.
Alcohol-Related Death

Death from drinking alcohol (Ethanol) can either be from an acute short-term
ingestion (accidental death) or from chronic, long term drinking (natural disease). The
short-term ingestion that can cause death is a blood alcohol of 0.45 (20-25 drinks for a
150 lb. male). The long-term ingestion that can cause death varies with the weight, rate
of consumption, physical activity and many other factors.

Alcohol is a poison that is metabolized at a rate of 2/3 of a drink per hour. This is
called detoxification and the liver does it. The blood alcohol concentration is measured in
milligrams of ethanol in 100 ml of blood or mg%.

Toxicology

Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry,

pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical
substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to
toxins and toxicants.

Toxicological screening is very important for the development of new drugs and
for the extension of the therapeutic potential of existing molecules.

Toxicology uses the power of science to predict what, and how chemicals may
cause harm and then shares that information to protect public health.
 A toxic agent is anything that can produce an adverse biological effect. It may be
chemical, physical, or biological in form. For example, toxic agents may be chemical
(such as cyanide), physical (such as radiation) and biological (such as snake venom).

Toxic substances may be systemic toxins or organ toxins. A systemic toxin is

one that affects the entire body or many organs rather than a specific site. An organ
toxin is one that affects only specific tissues or organ.

Toxicologists mainly focus to get following important information about toxin:

o Detection of toxin
o Occurrence of toxin
o Properties of toxin
o Effects of toxin
o Treatment of toxin
o Toxin regulation

Forensic toxicologists perform scientific tests on bodily fluids and tissue samples
to identify any drugs or chemicals present in the body. Working in a lab, the forensic
toxicologist performs tests on samples collected by forensic pathologists during an
autopsy or by crime scene investigators. They use highly sophisticated instruments,
chemical reagents and precise methodologies to determine the presence or absence of
specific substances in the sample.

As part of a team investigating a crime, a forensic toxicologist will isolate and

identify any substances in the body that may have contributed to the crime, such as:
o Alcohol
o Illegal or prescription drugs
o Other chemicals
o Poisons
o Metals
o Gases, such as carbon monoxide
Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you further
understand the lesson:
References

A Simplified Guide To Footwear & Tire Track Examination. Retrived from

http://www.forensicsciencesimplified.org/

Johll, Matthew E. Investigating Chemistry: A Forensic Science Perspective. 2nd ed.

New York: W.H. Freeman, 2009. Print.

Gustav W. Pirk, Metallurgical Examinations in Criminal Cases, 30 Am. Inst. Crim. L. &
Criminology 900 (1939-1940)