Individual characteristics in shoe outsoles resulting from recycled material components

Technical Report about individualizing characteristics in the outsoles of shoes that were identified during a forensic comparative examination at the Forensic Science Institute of the State Criminal Police Office in Bremen, Germany. The study focused on recycled flakes molded into the sole, some of which are located on the surface of the sole or inside the sole and are exposed when the shoes are worn, which can lead to unique characteristics in the shoe print. This information is intended for experts in shoe impression traces and shoe print traces in the context of their daily comparative work and is to expand their expertise and protect them from assessment errors. It supplements my script, which was created for the national German-language expert training program at the German Federal Criminal Police Office. There is also a note on similarly configured glove prints, which could potentially supplement my German glove print expertise. This technical note could serve as the basis for a bachelor's thesis in the field of shoe prints and is intended to encourage students to conduct more intensive research in this area.