ABSTRACT
It is imperative that crime scene technicians and investigators be aware of the full importance of footwear impressions as physical evidence. Innovative method of detection is, of course, not practical or possible at crime scenes, but again demonstrates the formation and resiliency of these impressions. If the possibility exists that residue was tracked onto the carpet in carpet area, treatment with the electrostatic lifting device may also be productive. Crimes involve people and places. Persons committing a crime leave footwear impressions en route to, at, and exiting from the crime scene. As a form of physical evidence, footwear impressions provide an important link between the criminal and the place where the crime occurred. Footwear impression evidence has been frequently undervalued by investigators, attorneys, and the courts due to their limited knowledge of it. Impressions in soft exterior ground surfaces that lead away from the general scene may indicate the direction in which the subject fled.
