Gait Pattern
Definition
The geometric and rhythmic signature of a person's walk. Captured as stride length, step length, cadence, foot angle and walking line. Used in CCTV-based suspect identification when the face is masked.
- Components
- Stride length, step length, cadence, foot angle, walking line
- Use case
- CCTV suspect identification when the face is masked
- Data source
- CCTV video, frame-by-frame measurement
Common questions
How reliable is gait pattern as standalone identification evidence?+
Gait can be affected by footwear, surface, fatigue, injury, and carried load, and automated gait recognition systems still show meaningful error rates, so courts and examiners generally treat it as corroborating evidence rather than a sole basis for identification.
What distinguishes forensic gait analysis from simply describing how someone walks?+
Forensic gait analysis measures the components frame by frame from video footage against a comparison sample of the suspect walking under similar conditions, rather than relying on a witness's subjective impression of a person's walking style.
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