ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 January 2003
Page Count: 9

Statistical Analysis of Barefoot Impressions
Pressman, AE
Mt. Sinai Hospital, Ontario

Pressman, IS
Carleton University, Ontario

Petersen, PH
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario

Kennedy, RB
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario

Chen, S
Statistics Canada, Ontario

(Received 20 August 2002; accepted 24 July 2002)

Abstract

Comparison of the shapes of barefoot impressions from an individual with footprints or shoes linked to a crime may be useful as a means of including or excluding that individual as possibly being at the scene of a crime. The question of the distinguishability of a person’s barefoot print arises frequently. This study indicates that measurements taken from the outlines of inked footprint impressions show a great degree of variability between donors and a great degree of similarity for multiple impressions taken from the same donor. The normality of the set of measurements on footprint outlines that we have selected for this study is confirmed. A statistical justification for the use of the product rule on individual statistical precisions is developed.

Keywords:
forensic science, footprint, barefoot impressions, convex hull, principal component analysis, product rule

Paper ID: JFS2001337
DOI: 10.1520/JFS2001337
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