Introduction

When you were younger, did you ever accidentally step in mud and track it into your house on your shoes? Did you get in trouble?

What if a muddy shoeprint or a tire track left in dirt was the only evidence left at a crime scene? Could it possibly be matched to a suspect? In the last lesson, you analyzed the uniqueness of fingerprints, but what if other prints left behind could also point to one individual? In this lesson you will learn how to collect and analyze different types of impressions.

shoeprint

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...

  • Explain ways to collect and preserve evidence from a crime scene.
  • Identify origins of impressions, including footwear and tire tread.

Enduring Understandings

  • Impressions can have significant forensic value that can be linked to an individual.
  • Impressions can be left behind when objects come in contact.
  • Scientific inquiry utilizes the scientific method and inductive reasoning.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Forensic and Criminal Investigations standards: 6 and 6.4

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