TRACE METAL DETECTION TECHNIQUE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

• NCJ Number: 204
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1970
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-71-015
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Justice
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Technical Information Service; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A TRACE METAL DETECTION TECHNIQUE (TMDT) HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SUSPECT OR NONMETALLIC MATERIAL HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH METAL OBJECTS.

Abstract

THE METHOD USES A TEST SOLUTION TO TREAT SKIN, CLOTHING OR OTHER MATERIAL WHICH PRODUCES VISIBLE METAL TRACE PATTERNS WHEN THE TREATED AREA IS SUBJECTED TO ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT. THE METAL TRACE PATTERNS GIVE-OFF FLUORESCENT COLORS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO TYPES OF METALS THE LOCATION SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE METAL TRACES ARE COMPARED TO CATALOGUED SIGNATURES TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC OBJECTS. THE IDENTIFICATION MAY BE AS SPECIFIC AS TYPE, MAKE, MODEL AND CALIBER OF A WEAPON. INTERPRETATION OF TEST RESULTS MAY BE INFLUENCED BY CONTACT WITH NONSIGNIFICANT METAL OBJECTS, DISASSEMBLY OR ASSEMBLY OF A HANDGUN, FALSE POSITIVES BY SIMILAR BUT NOT IDENTICAL TRACES AND EXPOSURE OF HANDS TO SOAP AND WATER. EQUIPMENT TEST PROCEDURES, AND PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES ARE DESCRIBED.