Tire Tread and Tire Track Evidence: Recovery and Forensic Examination (Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations)

Along with firearms, tool marks, fingerprints, and footwear, the analysis of tire marks is a key area within the forensic discipline of impression evidence. Tire Tread and Tire Track Evidence presents practical methods for recovering, examining, and interpreting this evidence within the context of actual case studies. Including basic information and terminology regarding tires, this book offers advice about the use of photographing and casting in order to recover tire evidence for examination and the proper way to examine and evaluate this evidence. Providing additional resources for further study, this text is filled with photographs to illustrate every aspect of this evidence.

Police success in linking vehicles to the scene of a crime through the impressions and tracks those vehicles leave behind has long served as a successful and reliable forensic tool. The collection and forensic evaluation of that evidence, however, requires specialized knowledge, training, and expertise.
Drawing from the author’s 34 years of experience, first as an FBI examiner and currently as a private consultant in the area of tire evidence, Tire and Tire Track Evidence: Recovery and Forensic Examination is the most comprehensive and up-to-date volume available on the subject. Covering all aspects of the field, the book begins with general information on the modern pneumatic tire and basic terminology. For both the crime scene technician and the forensic examiner, the author addresses information on both how to recover tire track evidence and how to photograph and cast the individual tread detail from those impressions.
The book explains and illustrates the necessary information on obtaining known exemplars; tire manufacturing, and retreading tires. It explains important aspects of tires including their tread design and dimension, noise treatment, general wear and individual acquired characteristics. The author instructs on applying that knowledge while conducting a structured examination procedure, resulting in the final evaluation of evidence and report writing as well as the presentation of tire evidence in court. He provides information on databases and resources along with case examples, including the Oklahoma City bombing.
Informative and useful, this book gives crime scene technicians and forensic examiners the tools to accurately and reliably collect, recover, and examine tire evidence.

084937247X......Page 1 Copyright Page......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Editor’s Note......Page 10 Contents......Page 12 Preface......Page 20 Acknowledgments......Page 22 About the Author......Page 24 1 General Tire Information......Page 26 2 Track Evidence......Page 48 3 Documenting and Recovering Tire Impression Evidence......Page 70 4 Known Exemplars of Tires for Elimination and Examination......Page 118 5 Tire Manufacturing......Page 144 6 Retreaded Tires......Page 164 7 Tread Design and Dimension......Page 182 8 Tire Wear......Page 218 9 Individual Characteristics......Page 234 10 Examination Methodology and Procedure for Comparison of Tire Impressions......Page 248 11 Presenting Tire Evidence in Court......Page 282 12 Resources and Databases......Page 288 13 Case Studies......Page 312 14 The Tire Evidence in the Oklahoma City Bombing Case......Page 330 Glossary......Page 348 Bibliography......Page 354 Index......Page 358 Gives crime scene technicians and forensic examiners the tools to accurately and reliably collect, recover, and examine tire evidence -- from cover