DETECTION OF GUNPOWER/GUNPOWDER RESIDUES STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

• NCJ Number: 42557
• Author(s): C R MIDKIFF
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 33 pages
• Corporate Author: American Soc of Crime Laboratory Directors
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

CURRENT TECHNIQUES ARE DEEMED LACKING IN SENSITIVITY OR SPECIFICITY, AND ARE LIMITED IN APPLICATION. IMPROVED DETECTION OF RESIDUES ON THE HANDS, SAMPLE CONTAMINATION, AND CONCLUSIVE IDENTIFICATION ARE DISCUSSED.

Abstract

THE FIRST PRIORITY FOR DEVELOPMENT IS CONSIDERED TO BE A SYSTEM WHICH WILL RELIABLY DETECT AND IDENTIFY RESIDUES UP TO SEVERAL HOURS AFTER FIRING. PRESENT APPROACHES ARE JUDGED INADEQUATE WITH A LIVE SUBJECT, BECAUSE MUCH OF THE RESIDUE IS LOST SOON AFTER FIRING. A SECOND AREA FOR DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSED IS THE PROPER ANALYTICAL TREATMENT OF SAMPLES CONTAMINATED WITH BLOOD, GREASE, OR OTHER FOREIGN MATERIAL. THE THIRD MAJOR CATEGORY OF NEEDED DEVELOPMENT IS CONSIDERED TO BE THAT OF PROVIDING CONCLUSIVE IDENTIFICATION OF RESIDUES FROM FIRINGS OF WEAPONS OF ALL TYPES AND CALIBERS. IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IS ALSO BELIEVED NEEDED BETWEEN THE RESEARCH LABORATORY AND THE WORKING LABORATORY, AS WELL AS BETWEEN LARGE AND SMALL ESTABLISHMENTS. IT IS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT IMPROVED COMMUNICATION OF EXISTING AND DEVELOPING METHODOLOGY WOULD IMPROVE THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN THE DETECTION OF GUNPOWDER/GUNPOWDER RESIDUES....RCB