NCJ Number
182973
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 67 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 173-174
Editor(s)
Charles E. Higginbotham
Date Published
2000
Length
2 pages
Annotation
In the early 1990's, the development of two automated systems, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Integrated Ballistics Identification System and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Drugfire, magnified the value of ballistics in criminal investigations.
Abstract
Both systems digitize unique impressions on shell casings or bullet fragments from firearm investigations and rapidly compare the images with thousands of images of previously recovered evidence, resulting in cold hits. Cold hits are linked investigations that would not be connected through traditional investigative techniques. The systems allow shell casings and bullets involved in separate crimes committed in the same or different cities to be linked. Crime evidence, casings, and bullets can be matched to recovered firearms. Interoperability problems associated with the systems are noted, as are activities of the ATF's National Tracing Center and the National Firearms and Toolmark Examiners Academy. 1 photograph