Casts and Impressions

Chapter 15
 Types of Impressions
1. Patent- visible, 2D impressions produced as
an object moves through soil, dusy, paint,
blood, or other fine particles and leaves a
trace.
2. Latent- hidden to the eye but can be
visualized through the use of special dusting
and electrostatic techniques or chemical
developers.
3. Plastic- 3D imprints. Can be left in soft
materials, such as snow, mud, soil or soap.
Individual or Class Evidence

Depends on how impression is made

Tread pattern in shoes or tires can identify the brand or size, but not specific
individual.

Distinguishing characteristics, such as a split on a shoe or unusual wear on a car tire

can be used as individual.

Dental impressions are considered individual evidence. (These have a long history
of being helpful. How and Why?)
Shoe Impressions

What types of things do you think a shoe impression can tell you?

Size of shoe print= foot size

Depth of shoe print = person’s weight

Type of shoe= person’s job or personality

Brand of shoe
Shoe Impressions

Databases contain specific manufacturers and tread patterns to identify types or

shoes.

Soles are used to compare different shoe patterns.

The database will be used to find the manufacturer that produced it as well as the
company that bought it.

An impression will then be made and used as class evidence

Shoe Wear Patterns

Factors that affect tread:

1. Toe or heel walk

2. Body weight
3. Straight ahead or inwards or outwards
4. Shape of foot and activity one does
5. Surface on which a person usually walks
6. Holes, cuts, or debris that may become embedded in shoe
Gait and Tracks

Tracks can indicate if a person was running or walking

Info that can be obtained from impressions:

# of people

Movement of individuals

Entrance and exit to crime scene

Collection of Shoe Impression Evidence

Photographing Impressions

● Take photograph before anyone touches it.

● Take photograph perpendicular.
● Take pictures from multiple angles
● Use a ruler and identify label around impression
● If impression is faint add a LIGHT coat of color contrasting
paint
Collection of Shoe Impression Evidence

Lifting Latent Impressions

3 Possible ways to make latent prints visible

1. Luminol to make bloody footprints visible and able

to photograph
2. Dusting of latent prints
3. Electrostatic lifting and gel lifting techniques.
Electrostatic Lift
Collection of Shoe Impression Evidence

Casting Plastic Impressions

● Impression is in dirt or sand,

Plaster of Paris is made and
sprayed with hairspray
● How can an impression in the
snow be difficult?
● The casting material for snow is
dental stone.
Foot Length and Shoe Size

The size of the shoe varies

by type

Shoe size does not directly

correlate to height

Figure your height out in

inches and compare to foot
size.
Tire Treads and Impressions

Can be used to link a suspect or victim to a crime.

May be used to indicate speed or direction in which it

left.

Forensic examiners look for 2 characteristics.

1. Tread pattern and measurements to identify the

type of tire and perhaps model of car
2. Nature of impression to determine how the
vehicle was driven.

Can leave patent, latent or plastic. How?

The Anatomy of the Tire

Tires tread is divided into ridges

and grooves.

The purpose of these are to

channel water out and provide
traction

Manufacturers have different tire

treads? Why?
 Recording Tread Impressions
Tread patterns are symmetrical

Ribs- Ridge of the tire, grooves are counted across the entire
tread shoulder to shoulder

Any imperfections are noted from the tire tread.

Candidate vehicle- impression from a crime scene matched to the

vehicle of a suspect.

Similar to a fingerprint record. A tire needs a 3 M long print. Why?

 Identifying a Vehicle
Tire impressions can identify make and model of a vehicle.

The track width and the wheelbase narrow down the search

1. Track width- Center of one tire to the other. Front and rear may differ.
2. Wheelbase- Center of front axle to center of rear axle. Taken to nearest
mm.
 Turning Diameter/Radius

The minimal amount of space it takes

to make a turn.

Whenever a turn is made, stress is

put on the tire and a mark is left
behind

A large database contains the track

width, wheelbase, and turning
Establishing Car Movements from Tire Marks

Direction can be determined.

Vegetation disturbed

Splash patterns from a puddle on pavement

Tire marks
Accident Reconstruction

The goal is to find out what happened, when it happened, where it happened, why
it happened, how fast the vehicle was going, who was involved and who was at
fault.

3 basic tire marks

1. Skid marks: when brakes are hit suddenly, provides distance brakes were
applied
2. Yaw Marks: when a vehicle travels in a curved path, tires and roads melt from
extreme temperature, audible squeal and smoke occur.
3. Tire scrubs: Produced by a damage or overloaded tire, curved or irregular, may
have striations that look like stripes. Determine area of impact.
 Dental Impressions

Bite Marks are considered to be

individual evidence
Why they are considered individual:
number, size, coloration, alignment,
unique fillings, crowns, caps,
distance, overall condition
Structure of Teeth

The solid white part of teeth

is made of two tissues:

Dentin- is similar to bone

Enamel- hardest substance of

human body, protects teeth
from high temperatures.
 The Development of Teeth

Primary teeth appear by 7 months of age and will be

replaced by 32 adult teeth

Wisdom teeth are the last to develop around age 17 and

21.

8 Incisors- straight, good for cutting food.

4 Canine-sharp and pointy, cutting and tearing

8 Premolar- flat with ridges

12 Molars-flat and wide, involved in chewing and

Dental Patterns in Forensics

Two ways in which forensics is used:

1. Teeth can be used to identify remains

2. Can also be used in profiling and identifying a suspect
from a unique bite pattern or bite marks left at a scene

76 points of comparison may be used to identify bite marks

Bite marks need to be photographed quickly and may also

be swabbed for DNA evidence