IAI -- SWGTREAD

The Scientific Working Group on Shoeprint and Tire Tread Evidence (SWGTREAD) was created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to serve as a professional forum in which experts in the forensic analysis of shoeprint and tire tread evidence and practitioners from related fields, share, discuss, and evaluate methods, techniques, protocols, quality assurance, education and research relating to shoeprint and tire tread evidence. The first meeting was held in Quantico, VA in September 2004. The most recent meeting was held in September 2007. The following examiners were present at that meeting:

William J. Bodziak, Bodziak Forensics
Lesley Hammer, State of Alaska, DPS
Alan Kainuma, Honolulu Police Department
Gary Hauptmann, Baltimore County Police Department
James Streeter, Connecticut State Police
Michael B. Smith, FBI Laboratory
Sandy Wiersema, FBI Laboratory
Eric Gilkerson, FBI Laboratory
Machelle Reid, FBI Laboratory

Published here are three (3) draft documents produced at that meeting. These documents provide SWGTREAD guides regarding the chemical enhancement of bloody footwear and tire impression evidence, casework documentation, and terminology used for forensic footwear and tire impression evidence. We solicit your review of these documents and request that you comment on them.

You are requested to provide feedback prior to February 15, 2008 so that we may discuss it at our next meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for March, 2008.

Specific instructions for providing feedback are detailed below.

Formal changes to SWGTREAD documents will only be considered if the following information is included:

Title of the document for which the change is suggested;
Name of individual requesting the change;
Organization or Affiliation of the requestor;
Address of the organization;
Telephone number and e-mail address, if available;
Specific identification of wording to be eliminated or changed, noting document section and/ or page number; (if applicable)
Specific wording to be added; (if applicable)
Justification describing reason for making the change.

If simply submitting comments, please be sure to include the following:

Your name;
Your job title;
Name and address of your agency;
Telephone number and E-mail address at which you may be reached (if available); and
Identify the specific document, section and/or page number to which you are referring, if applicable.

If replying electronically, include your name and address information in the body of your e-mail and enter “SWGTREAD Feedback” as your “subject” line. You may include your comments in the body of your e-mail or as an attachment in Word format.

Forward your comments to the following e-mail address: mreid3@leo.gov.

If replying via regular mail, include your name and address information in a cover letter, followed by your comments, and forward them to the following address:

Machelle Reid
FBI Laboratory – QDU
2501 Investigation Parkway
Quantico, VA 22135

Respectfully,
Sandy Wiersema
SWGTREAD Chair

All documents on this page are in the Acrobat PDF format.