Deck 9: Impression Evidence

Question 1

You are tasked with searching for footwear prints on the floor at the scene of a breaking and entering. You locate a print on a hardwood floor, how would you collect these shoe prints?

A) Use an electrostatic dust lifter
B) Make a detailed and scaled drawing of the pattern
C) Use oblique lighting
D) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Small and sometimes microscopical unique markings can be directly traced to the object or instrument in question

Answer 2

True

Question 3

There are distinct differences between compression marks and scraping marks. The ________________ marks are those left when an instrument is in some way pushed or forced into a material capable of picking up an impression of the tool. Examples include shoe impressions, tire impressions, bite mark impressions, fabric impressions, the mark left by a hammer hitting a piece of wood, the mark of a screwdriver used to jimmy a window, breech mark impressions on shell casings, typewriter marks, etc.

A) Compression
B) Scraping

Answer 3

A

Question 4

There are distinct differences between compression marks and scraping marks. The ________________or striated marks are produced by a combination of pressure and sliding contact by the tool and result in microscopic striations imparted to the surface onto which the tool was worked. Examples include scrape marks on fired bullets, marks left by cutting tools such as bolt cutters, from a wrench used on a doorknob, from an ax used to cut wood, from a screwdriver blade dragged over a surface.

A) Compression
B) Scraping

Question 5

In order for compression or scraping marks to be observed the tool must be made of ____________ material than the object on which it is used.

A) Softer
B) Harder
C) The same
D) Equally dense

Question 6

The random nature of imperfections found on tools are a result of ______________.

A) Manufacturing
B) Usage
C) Grinding, polishing, or casting
D) All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following could be an individual characteristic that might be found on a footwear impression at a crime scene?

A) Size
B) Width
C) Marks of nails and pegs
D) Brand of the footwear

Question 8

By turning off the lights to an interior scene, footwear evidence on flat surfaces may be viewed by using a flashlight at a ___________angle.

A) Low (Oblique)
B) High
C) 90 degree
D) 45 degree

Question 9

Which of the following is an acceptable method for preserving footwear evidence?

A) Photography
B) Casting
C) Lifting (tape or gel lifter)
D) All of the above

Question 10

Choose the most appropriate procedure for photographing a footwear impression at the scene of a burglary:

A) Camera lens is 90 degrees to the plane on which the footwear impression is located, tripod is used, scale is placed on the same plane as footwear, and oblique lighting technique is used.
B) Camera settings are on auto and the lens is parallel to the plane on which the footwear impression is located, scale is placed near the footwear and ambient lighting is used.
C) Camera is placed on a tripod above the footwear impression and set to programmed mode, the camera's on-body flash unit is used.
D) The camera is hand-held at 180 degrees and settings are on auto. A pen is used as a scale device next to the footwear impression and the timer setting is used as needed for a delayed shutter release.

Question 11

How many pounds of dental stone would be needed for a typical footwear impression?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 10

Question 12

When casting water-filled impressions a retaining wall should be placed around the impression and _______________.

A) Dental stone should be sifted directly into the impression and followed by normally prepared dental stone
B) Snow wax should be sprayed into the impression and followed by normally prepared dental stone
C) Dental stone should be prepared normally and the impression filled to at least 4 inches thick
D) The water should be vacuumed from the impression and dental stone prepared normally to fill the impression

Question 13

When casting a footwear impression in snow, which of the following is used to assist in preserving the print until it can be cast with dental stone?

A) Snow Print Wax
B) Mikrosil
C) Accutrans
D) Amido Black

Question 14

Footwear impressions in snow provide a unique situation related to environmental factors. Which of the following unique procedures is most appropriate when casting a tire impression in snow?

A) Mix the dental stone quickly so it does not freeze
B) Use a baffle to pour in the mixture
C) Spray the impression first with Snow Print Wax
D) Use an electrostatic lifter prior to pouring in the mixture

Question 15

You are called to the scene of a burglary and notice a footwear print in cooking oil on top of the kitchen cabinet near a broken window. Which of the following techniques would be the best way to collect this print?

A) Dental stone casting
B) Rubber (gel) lifter
C) Sulfur casting
D) Photographing the print at an oblique angle

Question 16

You are tasked with taking comparison footprints from a suspect's shoes. You should then__________________.

A) Coat the soles of the shoes with water-based ink and walk them onto a sheet of tracing paper or acetate
B) Walk the shoes onto a backing card and use ninhydrin as a development technique
C) Coat the soles with dusting powder and walk them onto a gel lifter
D) Coat the soles with magnetic dusting powder and lift them using an electrostatic dust lifter

Question 17

Marks from clothing can be identified with the aid of the structure of the fabric, and _____________.

A) Seams
B) Patches
C) Repairs/damage
D) All of the above

Question 18

Manufacturing marks such as casting, extruding, grinding, and so on are important when attempting to match items together physically. These markings and random breaks that occur when tools or other materials break or tear are important means of _________________.

A) Identification
B) Exclusion
C) Inconclusive determination
D) None of the above

Question 19

In the casting of tool-marks very satisfactory results may be obtained with _______________.

A) Snow wax spray
B) Ninhydrin
C) Mikrosil
D) Cyanoacrylate

Question 20

When analyzing a questioned document that was typed, a document examiner may be able to provide which of the following information?

A) Where the typewriter was purchased
B) What nationality the writer is
C) What year the document was typed
D) The make of the typewriter