Citation

Volkov N, Finkelstein N, Novoselsky Y, Tsach T. J. Forensic Sci. 2015; 60(6): 1589-1593.

Affiliation

Scientific Officers Toolmarks and Materials Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12867

PMID

26257324

Abstract

Bolt cutters are known as cutting tools which are used for cutting hard objects and materials, such as padlocks and bars. Bolt cutter blades leave their imprint on the cut objects. When receiving a cut object from a crime scene, forensic toolmarks examiners can determine whether the suspected cutting tool was used in a specific crime or not based on class characteristic marks and individual marks that the bolt cutter blades leave on the cut object. The paper presents preliminary results of a study on ten bolt cutters and suggests a quick preliminary examination-the comparison between the blade thickness and the width of the imprint left by the tool on the cut object. Based on the comparison result, if there is not a match, the examiner can eliminate the feasibility of the use of the suspected cutting tool in a specific crime. This examination simplifies and accelerates the comparison procedure.

Language: en