Mechanics of Impression Evidence

Description

As forensic technology becomes more sophisticated, courts are demanding more scientific content and juries are expecting meticulous confirmation of facts alleged. Greater attention is now paid to increasingly finer details and improved methods of describing every form of evidence. Applying physics, chemistry, and engineering to the process of analysis and interpretation, Mechanics of Impression Evidence reflects the shift to these heightened standards and offers a starting point for significant change in the way that impression evidence is considered, utilized, and presented.

Concepts discussed in this groundbreaking text include:

• The three-dimensional nature of the human fingerprint and a shift toward a more holistic image of the surface of friction skin
• Dimensional stability and striation mark issues, which can change the way footwear outsoles are evaluated and compared
• The research and development of electrostatic scans that could possibly save lives and locate or describe evidence as never before
• The growing availability of new measurement techniques that can improve evidence testimony
• The use of personal experimentation to support conclusions or confirm that which is otherwise considered fact

Making use of logic and science to question our approach to impression evidence, this volume begins with simple ideas and basic notions and uses these building blocks to suggest and consider potentially controversial changes in the way evidence is located, interpreted, compared, and presented.

Features

• Demonstrates the impact of the latest technologies on impression evidence
• Uses accessible language for easy comprehension
• Combines methods of physics, chemistry, and engineering for a holistic approach to forensic interpretation
• Outlines future possibilities in impression evidence analysis

Table of Contents

Forensic Analysis of Wood DNA; S. L Wilson and D. S. Pierce

• Introduction
• Materials, Methods, and Results
• Discussion

Signs of Evolution

• A New Beginning for Forensics
• Substrate to Structure
• Forces
• A Basic Look at a Popular Substrate
• Symmetry
• Perspective

Ivory Tower Syndrome

• The View Has Changed
• The Basis

The Ground We Walk On

• Soil Composition
• The Structure of Soil
• Influences that Act on Soils
• A Curious Destination for Minerals and Dyes

Measurement; E. Liscio and D. S. Pierce

• The Relevance of Measurement
• Accuracy and Language Issues
• Photogrammetry
• Stereoscopic Images and Scanning Synopsis

Fluids; P. Mallay and D. S. Pierce

• Simple Drops
• Modeling Droplets
• Sample Calculation
• Experimental Process
• Friction and Fluids
• Analysis and Comparison
• Summary

Surface Pairings

• The Value of a Surface Pairing
• Sequential Analysis
• Transfer
• Coincidental Impressions
• Paired Surfaces at a Point of Contact
• Industrial Materials

Bias

• Sources of Bias
• Creation Theory Bias
• The Awful Truth about Bias
• Errors
• Validation
• Confirmation

Exhibits to Evidence

• Re-Creating the Scene
• The Use of Observations

Validation Study of Three-Dimensional Striations from Outsoles

• Beginning with Markings
• The Hypothesis
• Empirical Studies
• Dimensional Stability of Outsoles
• Experiments with Casual Exposures to Solvents
• Summary of Possibilities and Probabilities of Validation

Potential of Electrostatics

• Images of Electrons

Toward Development of a Unified Theory

• Collective Value
• Cautions

• Appendix: Terminal Velocity Calculator
• Index

Author

David S. Pierce is certified as a footwear examiner by the Canadian Identification Society and has had numerous articles published in the Journal of Forensic Science.