Experiment 7

Shoeprint casting
Objective
To cast a shoe impression made on soft materials such as soil which is standard method for
lifting and collecting impression evidence.
Introduction
Shoeprints and impression may be found at any crime scene and provide a primary means to
identify or exclude a suspect. Impressions are not the same thing as prints. Shoe and footprints
may be found as either true prints or impressions. A print is two dimensional while an
impression is three dimensional. Prints are made by placing material on or removing it from a
hard surface, while impressions are made in pliable material. Prints are often lifted from a
surface; impressions are captured for examination by casting
Materials

Soil
Aerosol hair spray
Dental stone
Water

Procedure
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A place with soil surface was chose and tamp lightly

Selected footwear was placed onto the soil and push down to make an impression
The impression was applied with hair spray to harden the soil for casting
Hair spray was allowed to dried for about 10 minutes
The dental stone was mixed with enough water in zip-top bag
Slowly, the impression was poured with the mixed dental stone
The dental stone was allowed to dry.
The cast was collected and rinse under tap water to loose soil from the cast.
The casting was examined and compared to the exemplar.

Result

Discussion
Shoe print and impression may be found at any type of crime scene. While it is
preferential to cast all three-dimensional footwear impressions at a scene, it may not always be
possible. If it is not feasible to cast all of the impressions, care should be taken to cast the best
footwear impression evidence present. Close-up visual examinations of each impression should
be conducted to determine which impressions exhibit the best clarity of detail. Oblique lighting
of each impression from all four directions can also assist in conducting these visual
examinations. Those impressions having the best detail should be marked and preserved for
future casting.
The impression of the shoe print need to be casted because:
1. The cast gives lifelike and actual-size molding of the original impression including
uneven surfaces and depths.
2. The cast gives reproduction of microscopic characteristics.
3. In deep impressions, the cast gives reproduction of characteristics of the side of outsoles
and midsoles of the shoe which usually are not reproduced in photographs.

4. Focus or scale problems are eliminated.

5. Provides tangible 3-dimensional evidence.
6. Backs-up the photographs.

If a three-dimensional impression is to be obtained, it should, if possible, be produced using

the same methods and mediums as the original impression. Even if no other samples are
available for comparison, a recovered shoe impression may yield a vast amount of information.
Almost all footwear bears undersoles with distinctive patterns, which manufacturers are
increasingly designing to be specific to them. In some locations such patterns have been stored in
databases for comparison purposes. Though these patterns are the same for the same brand and
type of shoe, a certain degree of individuality may be imparted from the manufacturing process
or general wear. As a shoe is worn certain details fade in different places, depending on the
weight and walk of the wearer, and specific damages may be caused. The size of the shoe, which
may easily be obtained by examining the recovered impression, may prove useful, though not as
a positive identifier.

Conclusion
As the conclusion, the shoe impression can be classified as the class and individual evidence. It
can be used to identify the suspect or make some progress in further analysis and investigation.

Question

1. Shoeprint is considered class or individual evidence? Why?

It can be both. The pattern, size and brand are class characteristics but the specific wear pattern
on the shoe were made the wearer individual the shoe
2. Why do we cast impression evidence?
To preserve the evidence since the 3dimentional evidence is quite fragile
3. What is the purpose of using hairspray in this experiment?
To harden and hold soil particle together so that the soil can stand still during the casting process.