Forensic Gunshot Acoustic Analysis is Heating Up. Don't Get Burned
By Douglas Page
Gunshot acoustics hold plenty of investigative promise, but analysis can be difficult even for experts.
The Science Behind GSR: Separating Fact from Fiction
By Allison C. Murtha, Linxian Wu, Ph.D.
Here is a behind the scenes look at the science surrounding GSR investigations and the facts that make them dynamic.
GSR: How Do You Know You're Right?
By Timothy J. Drake, Ph.D.
Using integrated SEM-EDX technology to provide automatic, rapid, and validated results.
Making The Case For 3D Ballistics Imaging Technology
By Mike Barrett
3D scans of cartridge casings and expended bullets offer significant correlation and accuracy advantages. While responsible for solving thousands of firearms crimes in the past, 2D forensic ballistics systems are clearly behind the technology curve.
Automated SEM/EDS Analysis and Classification of Forensic Samples
By Brian J. Bierman
New generation SEMs incorporate computer automation and detector technology that allows for rapid elemental analyses of small particles. Already the gold standard for GSR analysis, the technique is being evaluated for forensic soil comparisons.
Expert Trigger Pull Uncertainty
By Jeff Salyards, Dana Sevigny
ISO 17025 requires laboratories to document how uncertainty was calculated. Find out ways to become more comfortable with your uncertainty calculations.
Putting a Nail in the Coffin of the Hilti Defense
By Blake Kinder, Eugene Provost
In a 2007 shooting, primer residue was found on the prime suspect. In his defense he claimed that the residue came not from firing a gun, but from using a Hilti nail gun, a powder-actuated tool, at his construction job. This study addresses the fallacy of the “Hilti Defense.”
Innovations in Scanning Electron Microscopy Preserve Sample Integrity and Validity in Forensic Analysis
By Hans Kruesemann
Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) provide forensic investigators with critical imaging and analytical capabilities that are not available from other techniques. In particular, they can resolve features as small as a nanometer, allowing useful magnifications of 100,000 times or more.
The Controversy Concerning Gunshot Residues Examinations
By Dennis L. McGuire, M.S.
Lawyers, judges, and juries can be seriously misled by crime laboratory findings of the presence of gunshot residues (GSR).
Making New Sense of Evidence
By Richard Leary, Pete Gagliardi
The proactive use and comprehensive analysis of ballistics evidence, once overlooked as unlikely to produce the highest probably value, benefits from new technology in sharing and comparing data.
