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Comparison of Footwear Impressions

المؤلف:  Max M. Houck، Jay A. Siegel

المصدر:  Fundamentals of Forensic Science

الجزء والصفحة:  p585-587

2026-09-07

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Comparison of Footwear Impressions

According to some examiners, footwear impressions can be individual evidence. There must be sufficient, unique characteristics present in the impression. The impression must be of good enough quality and the lifting or casting technique must be able to faithfully record the impression for comparison with the actual footwear. It is important to note that the impression will be a negative of the footwear; that is, raised areas on the footwear will be depressions in the impression. Figure 1 shows a comparison of a shoeprint and a cast made of the shoeprint at the crime scene. There is no set number of unique characteristics that must be present on an impression in order for a forensic scientist to reach the conclusion that the impression was made by a particular shoe. Each case must be considered on its own merit and will have its own facts and circumstances. One must never be put into the position of making a conclusion that it always takes a certain minimum number of characteristics to declare a match because there is no database that supports a single number. Generally, once a shoe has been worn to the point where it starts gaining unique characteristics, there will be plenty to choose from.

FIGURE 1 Comparison of a shoeprint with a plaster cast of the shoe.