To fingerprint examiners who do footwear exams

[Cindy Homer]

This is a question for fingerprint examiners who also do footwear examinations. Would you say that you follow ACE-V when doing footwear examinations? Would you testify that ACE-V was the methodology that you followed? In the end what I'd like to know is if you describe your process first by describing the Analysis step and what that pertains to, then the Comparison step and what that pertains to, etc. Thanks.

[NRivera]

I would say so. Footwear and latent print exams are both visual comparisons. The underlying scientific premises are similar with regards to minutiae (in a fingerprint) vs. individual characteristics (in a footwear impression or tire track). ACE-V provides a chronological and easy-to-understand methodology whether one is describing the biology of friction ridge skin or the manufacturing process and design of a Chuck Taylor outsole and how a conclusion was reached when comparing a questioned impression to a known. Despite fundamental differences in the conclusions that can be reached when comparing footwear vs. fingerprints ACE-V remains the best way to articulate the methodology IMHO.