Footwear, The Missed Evidence

A Field Guide to the Collection
and Preservation of Forensic Footwear
Impression Evidence

ISBN 0-9661970-1-1
Published 1999

by Dwane S. Hilderbrand
Illustrated by Tia Kalla

Footwear, The Missed Evidence is a handbook designed to address the needs of the crime scene investigator in the areas of collection and recovery of footwear impression evidence. Written by an internationally recognized authority in forensic footwear evidence, this 5 ½" by 8 ½" book can be carried in the field or used in the laboratory as the primary reference on locating, collecting and recovering footwear evidence.

You will discover how easy it is to:

LOCATE:
COLLECT:
RECOVER:

What people are saying

First responders should read this book! This is the first step in the training and education of crime scene investigators and police officers!!!

Debra Wood, Crime Scene Specialist, Scottsdale Police Department

Very informative, useful, and helpful.

Lynette Faeser, Forensic Science Specialist, Anaheim Police Department

Outstanding workbook for crime scene investigators. Every cop should read this.

Dr. John DiMaggio, Forensic Podiatry, Tempe, Arizona

Contents Include

Can the gait help crime scene investigators?

The Introduction, by Mr. Ernest D. Hamm

"Footwear track evidence can be very instrumental to the successful conclusion of a criminal investigation. In Footwear, The Missed Evidence, Mr. Hilderbrand has put forth essential information to the crime scene investigator on the recognition, preservation and collection of this potentially very valuable and important evidence. The techniques and methods set forth in this work serves to improve the quality of this form of evidence, which can be so important to subsequent comparative examinations and conclusions. Footwear, The Missed Evidence, should be recommended reading to those technicians and investigators involved in crime scene processing, as well as footwear examiners. It serves to reinforce the understanding of this type of physical evidence, its association with a crime, and the attention that must be given for its successful recovery. The knowledge gained from Footwear, The Missed Evidence will insure that footwear evidence is not missed, but is properly collected and its information applied to the criminal justice process."

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About the Author

Dwane S. Hilderbrand holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Management from the University of Phoenix, Arizona and over 60 credits equivalent to a degree in Police Science with 12 credits in chemistry. He should complete his Masters degree in Education by the summer of the year 2000. He is a Certified Latent Print Examiner, Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst and a Certified Footwear Examiner by the International Association for Identification. He is also a Certified Arizona, Arkansas, and California Law Enforcement Instructor and a Certified Teacher with the Maricopa County Community Colleges, in Arizona. He has taught students in the science of fingerprints and the identification of deceased persons, at various stages of decomposition. Dwane has also taught crime scene investigators in various aspects of forensic science and crime scene investigation and management. He presently specializes in footwear impression evidence and the identification of deceased persons.

Dwane presently performs examinations in latent prints, footwear and tire track and the identification of deceased persons. He has been a footwear/tire tread examiner since 1987. He teaches level one and two courses in Evidence Technology and Criminalistics at Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has spoken to the Arizona Identification Council, the International Association for Identification, the New Jersey IAI Division, the Phoenix Police Academy, and other state association meetings, as well as at the International European Footwear/Tool Mark Examiners Conference in Vantaa, Finland. He presently travels, teaching the forensic aspects of footwear impression evidence to other law enforcement agencies.

Other than being the author of Footwear, the Missed Evidence, he is one of the co-authors of the Crime Scene Manual presently used by the Scottsdale Police Department. He has written and published numerous articles on footwear impression evidence and latent prints in various forensic journals.

Dwane has served in the positions of President, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Vice Presidents, Editor, and Secretary/Treasurer of the Arizona State chapter of the International Association for Identification (IAI). He has also served on the Arizona Identification Council's Forensic Science Committee and Latent Print Certification Board for the State of Arizona.

Dwane was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Association for Identification in 1994. He has served on the International Footwear/Tire Track Sub-Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, and the feasibility study group for instructor certification. Dwane was also appointed to the National Disaster Medical Team in 1994. Dwane is presently employed by the Scottsdale Police Department's Crime Laboratory in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Author's Purpose in Writing This Book

As I began to do my research and retrieve information about the science of footwear, it became very apparent that there is very little written. I was able to locate three major books (two of which were out of print, but have now been reprinted), numerous articles and short chapters in other books about footwear evidence. It was astonishing to see how many books on crime scene investigation and physical evidence were on the market, and yet within these books was very little on forensic footwear. No wonder this is an overlooked and misunderstood science.

Footwear evidence has been overlooked for two major reasons 1) the lack of training and education in the proper search, collection and preservation methods, and 2) the evidence is undervalued or misunderstood. With the proper education in footwear evidence, both of these concerns can be overcome. This type of evidence has great evidentiary value when collected and preserved in the correct manner. Footwear evidence can reveal the type of shoe, the make, description, and, in some cases, approximate or precise size. When a crime scene is searched and documented in the correct manner, footwear evidence can also provide or assist in determining the number of suspects, their path, their involvement, and the events that occurred during the crime.

The learning methods used in this handbook center around two major concepts: 1) To provide the reader with proper training and education in footwear impression evidence, and 2) To provide well thought out reasons and answers to a forensic science that is undervalued or misunderstood by many law enforcement people. This handbook will teach the crime scene investigator to recognize, collect, and preserve footwear evidence in a manner that the footwear examiners can work. This is done with limited, but necessary equipment.

The desired results of this handbook are two-fold. First, the Crime Scene Investigator should be willing to devote his time and effort in proper collection and preservation and take on the challenge of difficult impressions with a new outlook and a much higher confidence level, thus resulting in more quality footwear evidence that the footwear examiner can identify. Secondly, the crime scene investigator should become more time efficient in his collection and recovery methods.

A friend of mine once said, "you become an expert in your field when you take the initiative with a subject you enjoy, learn it and study its art, conduct independent research in that field and then share it with others. If you do this, and do it because of the science, and not because someone said so, you will have reached a pinnacle of professionalism that is second to none. Learn to become your students' student." (Timothy Hahn, 1994)

The author wishes good luck on your journey in this fascinating and zestful science.

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