Excerpt from Red Herrings:

By
Jean McLennan:


A new development in forensic science will provide real and contemporary fi citious detectives with another tool in the fight against crime. Until now the challenge has been to obtain clear footprints from a scene of the crime where they have been left on fabric, such as carpet or clothing. (...) By adapting existing visualisation techniques, Doctor Kevin Farrugia of Abertay University, Dundee has developed a method of obtaining detailed images of latent footwear left on fabrics. These images will give investigators information about the brand, style and size of the footwear, but more than that, because an individual’s gait varies, the wear on a pair of shoes is subject to random and individual characteristics. The print can identify the wearer. The technique will work equally well on old prints as new and will be used in the re-examination of unsolved crimes.