In a typical crime scene, numerous investigative personnel, such as police officers, crime laboratory personnel, and the like are involved in assessing the particulars of the crime and collecting evidence left by the perpetrators or victims. Evidence is likely to be found in any area and on any surface in a crime scene, such as on floors, carpets, furniture and walls.
Often, particular items of evidence such as clothing fibers, hairs, bodily fluids, and the like are so small as to be invisible to the eye, or are located on surfaces that render them difficult or impossible to detect, such as on non-contrasting carpet surfaces. In such cases, evidence crucial to the solution of the crime may go undetected. In addition, it is often the case that a crime scene investigator, during the course of the investigation, may inadvertently step on such undetectable items of evidence, and may transport such items on his or her footwear. A common solution utilized by crime scene investigators to collect difficult to detect items of evidence is to use “lifting tape,” which is most commonly a roll of tape having a lower tack which can adhere to and lift fibers and the like for further processing. However, this does not solve the problem of evidence inadvertently removed from a crime scene on the footwear of an investigator.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for methods of collecting evidence, particularly difficult to detect evidence such as fibers, hair, fluids, and the like, inadvertently adhered to the footwear of crime scene investigators.