Please dont walk on the evidence or destroy it!

During the festive season it is hard for the bad guys not to leave evidence

Yes it does snow as we have witnesses and no that does not mean the bad guys go away and stay warm. Footwear and tire tracks can be deposited on almost any surface, from paper to the human body. Prints are divided into three types: visible, plastic and latent.

• A visible print is a transfer of material from the shoe or tire to the surface. This type can be seen by the naked eye without additional aids. For example, bloody shoe prints left on flooring or tracks left by muddy tires on a driveway.
• A plastic print is a three-dimensional impression left on a soft surface. This includes shoe or tire tracks left in sand, mud or snow.
• A latent print is one that is not readily visible to the naked eye. This type is created through static charges between the sole or tread and the surface. Examiners or investigators use powders, chemicals or alternate light sources to find these prints. Examples include shoeprints detected on a tile or hardwood floor, window sill, or metal counter, or tire tracks detected on road surfaces, driveways or sidewalks.

One way of identifying and locating a bad guy is to do as they did back in the old west, and that’s to track the thugs back to their hideouts. Sure, following broken twigs and disturbed vegetation is one method.

But the better way is not walking on the evidence at all take a photo with your cellphone or device hopefully at a 90 degree angle and of the path of direction. Call the police immediately and place a simple card board box(es) over the tracks so that they are not disturbed or melted by the sun or have snow blow in them until the police come.

They will also need collection evidence of your boots or shoe you were wearing also so keep them handy

DO NOT TOUCH THE EVIDENCE, JUST COVER AND NOTE TO THE POLICE THE TIME YOU OBSERVED IT AND THE DATE. Do not allow dogs or cats or animals to disturb the scene.