Shoe Impression Arson Caper
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I am often asked by fledgling FI210 students how many times I have had to cast shoe or tire impressions during my career in Law Enforcement. My answer “not very often.” When talking to other officers a common answer of when they last did a cast was “at the academy.” Casting is an often-overlooked skill that we should be more cognitive of during our investigations. The most often used excuse it not having the materials to cast or not having the experience.
In my 24-year career I had one case where shoe print impressions were pivotal in linking a suspect to the crime scene. Fortunately, we took the time to cast the shoe impressions and used the impression to leverage a confession from the primary suspect who then led us to 12 other suspects. How many other cases could I have taken shoe or tire impressions?
In the linked article “Shoe prints lead FBI to suspect man and woman of being involved in multiple New Mexico wildfires” by Susan Baek NBC News, the FBI was able to use multiple impressions to link the suspects to 16 fires.
Next time you are out on a case, don’t overlook the potential investigative gold you may be missing in shoe and tire impressions.