Unfortunately, when a crime scene is improperly secured or is disorganized, the search of the scene often results in this type of impression evidence being overlooked or destroyed. During an every day routine it is normal to see an individual wearing gloves, but it's not normal to see individuals wearing protection over their shoes. However, they are rarely aware of, or make little attempt to conceal footwear. Criminals have become smarter and wiser by beginning to frequently wear protection over their hands to avoid leaving fingerprints, and masks over their faces to avoid eyewitness identification. Since criminals must enter and exit crime scene areas it should therefore, be reasonably assumed that they may leave traces of their footwear. This theory is called the Edmond Locard Theory, which simply states "Every contact leaves its trace." This theory is continually used today in crime scene investigations and the analysis of physical evidence. For this reason, the collection, preservation and analysis of physical evidence has become more frequent in the law enforcement community.Īround 1910, a criminologist by the name of Edmond Locard arrived at a theory that every time something comes into contact with another it either takes or leaves a portion of itself or another. In almost every criminal investigation it is necessary to determine and prove that a particular person or persons may or may not have been present at the scene of a crime. The body was identified as that of the first completely intact 5,000-year-old Iceage man. The body was fully clothed and his "well-worn shoes were made of leather and stuffed with grass to keep his feet warm." Once the body had been removed from its icy grave it was examined and determined to be that of a fit man, between 25-35 years old, and about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing somewhere around 110 pounds. Unfortunately, the jackhammers were damaging the body, pickaxes and ski poles were then used. Following the normal procedures for the recovery of the body, they attempted to free it from the ice using jackhammers. As it was not clear at the time exactly where the body was found, police authorities from Austria and Italy responded. The two tourists, suspecting foul play, contacted the authorities. On September 19, 1991, two German tourists were hiking in the mountains on the border between Austria and Italy when they spotted a body buried in the ice. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value." (Paul L. It is not absent because human witnesses are, it is factual evidence, physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself it cannot be wholly absent, only its interpretation can err. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. All of these and more bear mute witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothing, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. "Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as silent witness against him. "The scope of a complete examination consists of two main functions: first, the recovery process, which includes the discovery and preservation of the prints, and second, the identification process, which involves evaluations, comparisons, and findings related to the recovered impression." (Grieve 1988).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |