LESSON 8: Imprints and impressions and their applications to crime detection.

Collection, preservation, identification and transmittal of evidences.

FOOT AND TOOL IMPRESSIONS

Impressions are usually produced and of great value as evidences in cases

of robbery, theft and vehicular incidents. These are made by shoes, foot prints,
tool marks, tire marks. This can be differentiated from imprints by the fact that it is
a strong mark produced by pressure that goes below the surface. Imprints are
weak marks made by pressure that stays on the surface.

These impressions can be faithfully reproduced by means of a mold called

moulage. To define, moulage is a faithful reproduction of an impression with the
use of casting materials.

Casting materials may be the most common Plaster of Paris (which is used
best for foot or tire impressions), plastic materials like dental plastic wax (used for
small impressions as tooth or tool impressions.

Tool impressions may be classified into:

1. Those where there is only one area touched by the instrument such as axe, hammer cutters. The marks produced
may be

a. compression marks – produced by a single application of the tool in one area of contact as in a single
blow of a hammer;

b. friction marks – where there are series of scratches or striations produced by pushing the tool across the
surface as in cutter, axe.

2. Those where there are repeated strokes over the same area as produced by a saw or file. The marks usually
overlap one another.