Determining the Significance of Outsole Wear Characteristics During the Forensic Examination of Footwear Impression Evidence

• NCJ Number: 238787
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 62 Issue: 3 Dated: May - June 2012 Pages: 254-278
• Author(s): William J. Bodziak; Lesley Hammer; G. Matt Johnson; Rodney Schenck
• Date Published: June 2012
• Length: 25 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper will define terms used in the forensic footwear examination and comparison of outsole wear.

Abstract

This paper will define terms used in the forensic footwear examination and comparison of outsole wear, summarize past research in the area of wear, and discuss the various considerations that should be taken into account when evaluating general wear in casework comparisons. Considerations include factors that limit clarity of the impression, manufactured characteristics, and time intervals between when the impression was deposited and when the shoes were seized. A variety of general wear is encountered in footwear casework and can be used to limit the population of shoes that could have made the impression. However, general wear may appear similar on shoes of the same person and between shoes belonging to different people and therefore general wear alone should not be used to identify a shoe as the particular source of an impression. A survey conducted as part of this project indicates that general wear is not used to individualize footwear impressions by the international community of footwear examiners. (Published Abstract)