A Guide to Capturing Prints: In The SNOW

crimeshoe.com users based in the Northern Hemisphere will be all too aware of how cold the weather has been during recent weeks, the bad news is that forecasters are predicting that temperatures, in the UK at least, are due to stay below freezing for some time to come. As well as causing havoc to our transport networks heavy snow can prove to be a tough challenge for crime scene investigators attempting to capture shoe prints in the field.

While a layer of snow usually means that more prints are left at a crime scene it is often the case that these prints are easily damaged and tend to deteriorate/melt very quickly during investigation. Due to this it is highly important that officers act quickly to preserve prints while they are still visible and in optimum condition. In practice there are two methods of capturing snow impressions quickly and effectively, the first being a photograph and the second method being a cast.

Photographs:
As with all crime scene prints we recommend taking several photographs, from a number of angles, of the print using a high resolution digital camera. Positioning a light source to one side of the print will better show grooves and ridges that exist but may not be immediately visible in the print. Photographs can be further enhanced by first treating the print with an aerosol based product such as Snow Print Wax or alternatively a can of Gray Primer Paint (available at almost any DIY shop). By spraying several thin coats of paint over the print you will greatly increase the contrast and subsequently the photographic quality of the impression.
Note: A layer of paint over the print will also alert other officers at the crime scene of the prints location.

Casting:
If you intend to take a cast of a print in the snow be sure that you take great care not to damage or distort the print while pouring the casting liquid into the impression. Also be sure that your casting liquid is thick enough not to seep between the snow crystals distorting the print. A more suitable alternative to traditional casting methods (dental stone etc.) is Snow Print Wax or Paraffin Wax spray. Spray a layer of either product onto the impression and allow to solidify. Next, by applying several subsequent layers of wax, you will have created a thin casting which can then be removed from the print/mould.

Further Tips and Advice on capturing prints can be found in the online crimeshoe.com User Guide