GUNSHOT RESIDUE DETECTION - SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFICATION OF ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTS - EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

• NCJ Number: 32112
• Author(s): J E WESSEL; P F JONES; Q Y KWAN; R S NESBITT; E J RATTIN
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 489 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-025-73
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Aerospace Corporation
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS DOCUMENT REPORTS IN DETAIL THE RESULTS OF AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF CURRENT CRIMINALISTIC PRACTICES IN THE AREA OF DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE AND OF COURT USE OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE EVIDENCE.

Abstract

THIS REVIEW WAS BASED ON DIRECT CONTACT WITH 51 CRIMINALISTIC LABORATORIES IN THE U.S., INTERVIEWS WITH OTHER EXPERTS IN THE FIELD, AND AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH AND ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE ON THE SUBJECT. THE NEEDS OF THE CRIMINALISTICS COMMUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILIZATION OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE WERE DEFINED FROM A SYSTEMS POINT OF VIEW, I.E., THE UTILIZATION OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE COLLECTION PHASE THROUGH THE PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE IN COURTS OF LAW. AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY OF NEW TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE TO IMPROVE GUNSHOT RESIDUE UTILIZATION WAS CONDUCTED THAT SIMILARLY COVERED COLLECTION, DETECTION, AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES. IT CONCERNED ITSELF WITH TWO CATEGORIES OF TECHNIQUES: THOSE WHICH COULD PROVIDE SIMPLE, RAPID, AND INEXPENSIVE MEANS FOR SCREENING POTENTIAL GUNSHOT RESIDUE DEPOSITS FROM BACKGROUND CONTAMINATION; AND TECHNIQUES WHICH COULD PROVIDE CONCLUSIVE, HARD EVIDENCE BY DETECTION OF CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO GUNSHOT RESIDUE AND SUFFER MINIMAL INTERFERENCE FROM BACKGROUND CONTAMINATION. BY COMPARING AVAILABLE OR POTENTIAL NEW TECHNQIES WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE TYPICAL LOCAL CRIMINALISTICS LABORATORY, THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT CONSIDERABLE PROMISE EXISTS FOR SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN GUNSHOT RESIDUE DETECTION AND ANALYSIS FOR BOTH THE SCREENING APPLICATION AND THE CONCLUSIVE ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR EVIDENTIARY USE. THE REPORT RECOMMENDS SPECIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORT DESIGNED TO BRING ABOUT SUCH IMPROVEMENT IN THE NEAR TERM. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST FOR THE SCREENING APPLICATION ARE PHOTOLUMINESCENT AND ELECTROANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES IN ADDITION TO THE CURRENTLY UTILIZED ATOMIC ABSORPTION METHODOLOGY. PARTICLE ANALYSIS WITH THE USE OF THE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE WITH X-RAY ANALYZER WAS FOUND PROMISING FOR PROVIDING CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE, AND THE POTENTIAL OF MICROCHEMICAL CRYSTAL TESTS AND OTHER TECHNIQUES FOR SIMILAR APPLICATION WAS FOUND TO BE HIGH. FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF TAGGING OF AMMUNITION FOR FUTURE UTILIZATION IN THE DETECTION OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE WAS ALSO RECOMMENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)