Suspect Shoeprint Information Collection and Application
August 15, 2024
When crime suspects are arrested, their personal information needs to be collected. The scope of data collected varies depending on the regulations of each country, such as three-sided portrait photos, finger and palm prints, DNA, irisscans, voice prints, height, and weight.
Many countries (e.g., United Kingdom, Switzerland, China) emphasize the collection and application of shoe sole pattern data. The most common collection method involves imprinting the sole pattern by applying ink and stepping on white paper, leaving the sole pattern, which is then photographed or scanned into electronic files for storage in a computer database. Some countries use automatic sole pattern acquisition equipment to save image information in the database for convenient query and comparison. In China, advanced shoe image acquisition equipment can collect sole pattern information, as well as side and back views of the shoe, and enter both image and textual information into a local shoe model database.
Figure 1. Shoe sole collected using gellift
Figure 2. Shoe sole collected using acquisition equipment
The application of suspect shoe information can be divided into three stages:
1. Collecting the suspect's shoe pattern and manually comparing crime scene shoeprints.
2. Collecting the suspect's shoe pattern, creating a database, and automatically comparing crime scene shoeprints.
3. Collecting suspects' shoe sole patterns and shoe upper images, creating databases of suspects' shoe sole patterns and local shoe models, automatically comparing crime scene shoeprints, and comparing shoes in videos.
Figure 3. Application of suspect shoe sole image
We are still in the early stages of collecting and applying information about suspects' shoes. Forensic scientists and police officers worldwide need to collaborate to find easier ways of collecting information and more effective application solutions to contribute to public safety.
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