Then and Now: Forensics

The original photo, dated 1960s, shows Constable Phil Baer mixing plaster for a shoeprint cast. The camera featured is the ‘Speed Graphic’, which was high tech at the time and received its name due to the extremely fast shutter speed of 1/1000 seconds.

The current photo shows a Crime Scene Investigator preparing plaster for a tyre print. The preservation and comparison of known and questioned impressions of shoes and tyre marks can be carried out to identify shoe and tyre brands. Marks are often found on glass, in garden beds and dirt roads.