Footprint (Friction Ridge) Comparison

[Charles Parker]

I am looking for some footprint (friction ridge) comparison cases for training purposes.

[Ann Horsman]

Hey Charles,

Sounds like a great project. In seven years of print work I only had one case where there were foot impressions at a scene. It was a homicide and the prints were in blood, they were ID'd to the suspect. Unfortunately I no longer work for that agency!

Good luck with your search.

[Kathleen Birnbaum]

You might want to collect your friends and family to do some barefoot walking around and make your own collection of prints. In all my years I have only one case with footprints that we did comparisons to and made identifications on. It was a Homicide and they are the victims prints. Not in blood, just walking on the floor and leaving marks like any traditional fingerprints. If I can share I will, but you will probably get a larger training collection with your own volunteers. It could make an interesting article for the journal but you no doubt already know that.

[Charles Parker]

Kathleen, thanks for the suggestion. I just might do that.

[charlton97]

You could try contacting interpol in Europe. In identifying the victims of the asian tsunami I examined literally hundreds of plantar from hundreds of different sizes, complexity and age groups. They were all scanned and searched on AFIS and the data may still exist.

Suggest that you contact the Interpol lab director; Mark Blanchflower...I am sure he is listed in IAI membership roll.

I cannot promise they will be able to respond to your request, but it might be worth a try??

cheers


Dave

[Charles Parker]

Dave, thanks I just might mention that in my presentation.

Thanks to those that have e-mailed me with thoughts, ideas and interesting cases.

There is a wealth of information there.

[Cindy Rennie]

Seeing this post reminded me of a documentary on BIGFOOT that I was watching over the weekend. The only physical evidence available are several plaster casts of what are supposed to be his (her?) footprints.

I saw some of these casts on TV, but didn't get a close look. Does anybody know if these casts show evidence of friction ridges?

If BIGFOOT is a primate, shouldn't (s)he have friction ridge detail on the plantar surfaces?

Just wondering.

[Charles Parker]

Cindy, I do not know but that would interesting to find out.


TO ALL: Thanks for all the people that sent me cases and photos of cases and digital images of cases.

I hope to put together a workshop for Louisville. I have 15 sets of latent prints with five sets of exemplars. Do some on the physiology, recording methods, court cases, and other interesting foot print (friction ridge detail) cases and then the comparison exercise.

Now I just have to put it together and see if Jim has a spot for me in Louisville.

Thanks to everyone and if you have an interesting case I would love to hear from you.

[Alan C]

Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University has done some research on alleged Sasquatch footprints. He found some possible friction ridge detail. The pages linked below have some info on him and his research, though you can't make out ridge detail in the images on these web pages.

http://www.bfro.net/REF/THEORIES/MELD/jeffrsch.htm

http://www.isu.edu/~meldd/fxnlmorph.html

The first one has his contact information. A few years ago I tried to get Pacific NW IAI to invite him as a speaker when the conference was in Boise, but the board didn't bite. I think it was a little too out there for them.