GCU And Phoenix Police Created Shoeprint Database. Here's How Police Will Use It To Solve Crime

Shayana Garcia Cronkite Intelligence Service

Through a collaboration between forensic science students at Grand Canyon University and the Phoenix Police Department's crime lab, a new shoeprint database will help detectives identify shoeprints left at crime scenes.

"I spent countless hours on the Internet trying to find these impressions, and I thought it would be more interesting to have a searchable database," said Phoenix Police Coroner Kyle Mueller, who oversaw the forensic analysis.

Crime lab trace analysis analyzes evidence such as bullet residue, shoe and tire prints and fibers, and fire residue.

Forensic pathologists can identify shoe prints left at crime scenes, including the type and size of shoes the suspect was wearing.

Muller said he doesn't have the time or the staff to scan new shoes to shop and enter the database. So he contacted GCU, who assembled a team of forensics students to gather information about the shoes.

Until the database goes live, Phoenix police corners will rely on Google searches and sites like Zappos to find the latest shoes, Mueller said.

"It can take days or even weeks to find these shoes," he said. "The goal is to reduce lead time, which means getting this information to investigators as quickly as possible, because this information may be needed when they use search warrants and track down suspects."

National databases are "expensive and require the user to log in to access the service," Mueller said. "A Local Database is More Effective in Identifying Local Populations than Traditional Shoes."

Mueller said he had the idea for a local database about five years ago, but progress has only come in the past six months and the database is still in development.

“Working with the students was great because they took my idea and took it to the next level,” she said.

According to Muller, the main goal was to introduce students to cameras and photography, but they also developed standard operating procedures and curriculum while learning how to use photography and stage equipment.

Students search the store for new shoes to analyze and add to the database. They also created a glossary of trade pattern definitions.

Six GCU students participate in the Arizona Outsole Database Program, including medical examiners Megan Martinez, Jr., and Lauren DeJong, senior.

"Shoe prints are one of the most common pieces of evidence found at crime scenes...Creating a database in a single language that can be used to more efficiently search for shoe prints will save a lot of time and be much more efficient. The future," DeJong said.

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The biggest problem for the students was the permission to enter the shoe store and take pictures. Many managers do not allow students to photograph their shoes without permission from the institution.

Another problem, DeJong said, is defining trade patterns for vocabulary.

"As you can imagine, there are a million different shapes and ways to attach shoes," he said. "So finding a very concise and practical way to create a dictionary that you can use to look at shoes and find footprints was one of the biggest challenges."

Mueller says that when he analyzes shoe prints, he focuses primarily on characteristics of the shoe's class, such as design and size, but also looks for logos and shoe-specific defects such as cuts, scratches or other scratches.

The team analyzed men's and women's shoes and focused on documenting athletic shoes, finding the most common crime scenes.

GCU's computer scientists build the database infrastructure.

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GCU forensics professor Leigh Webb, who oversees part of the GCU project, said the database benefits both the Phoenix Crime Lab and students by providing a constantly updated database and providing a true student experience.

"It's about giving these students hands-on experience and then exposing them to a particular discipline of forensic science," he said, noting they can add that experience to their resume.

Webb said the Arizona Outsole Database program is limited to six participants due to equipment shortages, but there is a waiting list of qualified students who want to participate and the program is ongoing.

The only requirement for students is that they must complete a crime scene photography course offered by the university.

"Overall it was very positive," Webb said. "They like to be a part of it, they like to have that connection with the coroner and they like to know how it's going to affect their career after they graduate here — maybe one day they can work with this database."

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