Federal bullet ballistic database

I noticed in my purchase of my Walther PPK/S and my Browning Hi Power that there was a little manila envelope containing a spent cartridge case..presumably from test firing..does the federal government have the recovered bullet ? to register in some sort of NCIC bullet ballistic fingerprint database ?

[ALR]

I wondered about that too with my Bersa,I thought they disbanded the program because it was useless.

[gunssb]

I got one with my blackhawk although its not required under CA law...I believe some other even more communist states require that so some manufacturers do it anyway. Don't know if they actually give it to the government.

[Despoiler]

Ever heard of Able Danger?

[gunssb]

Originally Posted by AllenT

Ever heard of Able Danger?

The special operations program ?? Explain please...

[myarmor]

Do I smell conspiricy???

[Otter]

I believe Maryland does it. I keep a spent case and bullet from my weapons on file with serial numbers, I figure that if one of my guns is ever stolen or the law enforcement people ever come wanting to know where a gun of mine went after I sold it I can give them the serial number and a test slug with spent case. Of course this information should be updated occasionally due to wear of the bore. I think it's a good idea, and it doesn't cost anything, instead of spending millions on a database that hasn't worked.

"Life is too important to be taken seriously."

[Rufus Rhastus J]

Originally Posted by myarmor

Do I smell conspiricy???

in a word, YES!

[ALR]

Originally Posted by Otter

I believe Maryland does it. I keep a spent case and bullet from my weapons on file with serial numbers, I figure that if one of my guns is ever stolen or the law enforcement people ever come wanting to know where a gun of mine went after I sold it I can give them the serial number and a test slug with spent case. Of course this information should be updated occasionally due to wear of the bore. I think it's a good idea, and it doesn't cost anything, instead of spending millions on a database that hasn't worked.

"Life is too important to be taken seriously."

Then they say we have the evidence, YOU did it,Case Closed the perp came forward and confessed.......Dont you watch TV??? Especialy the news?

I can't help but be a little paranoid about it

[myarmor]

Understandable. I suppose I would too.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 31, 2002

SCHUMER: NEW SNIPER BULLET INFO BOLSTERS CASE FOR NATIONAL BALLISTICS DATABASE

With new data showing that over 80 percent of guns used in Capital Region crimes since 2001 came from outside the state, Schumer and local police detail how efforts to solve gun crimes in New York would be immeasurably aided by a national ballistics database

If a national ballistics database were up and running, police would have known about the DC area snipers' links to Washington State after the first shooting weeks ago

With the bullets form a sniper shooting now forensically linked to the gun recovered from the car of the two men arrested in connection with the sniper shootings, US Senator Charles Schumer today said that a national ballistics database would have immeasurably aided the task force investigating the case by leading it to Washington immediately after the first shooting. Schumer said the case bolsters the argument for a national ballistic database and said that such a system would greatly help Capital Region law enforcement agencies investigate gun crimes.

"It is now clear that a ballistic database would have given the police investigating the sniper shootings a tangible lead within hours of the first shooting and might have even saved the lives of the majority of those who died at the hands of these madmen," Schumer said. "If the police had been able to run the bullets recovered at these crime scenes against a national ballistics database, they would have tracked down where the gun was originally sold and would have been on the trail to Tacoma within the first few days of the investigation. Who knows how many lives would have been saved?"

"The scary thing is that the same factors that prolonged the sniper case could very well be at play here in the Capital Region and New York. With so many of the guns used in New York crimes coming from out of state, the lack of a national database forces local police to rely on tipsters and other clues for the leads they need to make arrests and that means longer investigations. Nobody in their right mind wants that, which why it's so exasperating that some special interest groups like the NRA are blocking the implementation of such a system," Schumer added.

Although the technology exists to help law enforcement link the makings on bullets obtained from the crime scenes to particular suspects, the gun lobby has stood in the way of setting up a national database system that would keep a record of ballistic fingerprints. This opposition slowed down the investigation of the sniper shootings just as it slows the investigations of hundreds of gun crimes in the Capital Region.

Schumer released new data from the ATF showing that over 80 percent of guns used in Capital Region crimes since January 2001 came from outside New York. The ATF defines the Albany region as an 18-county area that covers the eastern part of the state for the most part. In that region, there were 529 guns recovered from crimes since January 2001 and 438 of those were purchased outside the state – over 80 percent of guns used in crimes in the area were purchased outside New York. In the City of Albany, almost 50 percent or 29 of the 62 guns recovered in the same period originated out of state. Statewide, about 70 percent of the guns used in crimes came from outside New York.

"If Capital Region law enforcement agencies had access to a national database of ballistics fingerprints, they could use those ballistic fingerprints to solve those gun crimes more quickly and easily," Schumer said. "Currently, instead of looking up a ballistic fingerprint in a computer to find where a crime gun was originally sold, police officials are forced to spend thousands of hours trying to track down witnesses and clues that might lead them to suspects."

The Ballistics, Law Assistance, and Safety Technology Act (BLAST) legislation, introduced by Schumer and Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, would require gun manufactures to test fire a bullet from every gun they produce and keep a record of the gun's fingerprint, enabling police to match bullets recovered at crime scenes to specific guns. Specifically the bill's main provisions would:

• Require firearms manufactures to test all new firearms and keep an image of the ballistic fingerprint on file and available to federal law enforcement;
• Require law enforcement officials to test fire all firearms in their custody;
• Provide financial support to communities that include ballistics testing in their anti-crime efforts.

To protect law abiding hunters and sportsmen from any misuse of the ballistics database by the government,
the BLAST bill explicitly prohibits ballistics information from being used for any purpose unless is necessary fo the investigation of a gun crime. It relies only on the serial numbers of the gun – it uses no names – and would only be used to trace guns whose bullets are used in crimes.

"A national database would replace random tips from anonymous witness with legitimate leads that will help the police jumpstart their investigations. It's a common sense tool that no police department should be without," Schumer said.

Schumer was joined today by Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings, Albany County Executive Michael Breslin, Albany Public Safety Commissioner John C. Nielsen, Troy Public Safety Commissioner Mark Whitman, and Schenectady Police Commissioner Daniel Boyle.

[CleanCut]

I don't believe the gov has a comprehensive database. They probably take what they can get, though. Hard to trust 'em with all the power tripping whackos in positions of authority.

Inside IBIS
IBIS, which was originally championed by the ATF and has since incorporated elements of a competing FBI system called Drugfire, consists of a pair of high-speed Pentium PCs running Windows NT. One machine, designated the Data Acquisition Station, is used to enter data on bullets and cartridges. A second machine, called the Signature Analysis Station (SAS), correlates the images with the IBIS database. The software for analyzing bullets is called, appropriately, Bulletproof. Cartridge case identification is done by a companion program called Brasscatcher. In the United States, this technology is being offered to local police departments through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.

The heart of the system is digital image recognition, which converts markings on ammunition into a set of binary numbers. What the operator sees on the computer screen is less complicated, as Popular Mechanics was shown during a demonstration by the Essex County, N.J., Sheriff's Office.

The procedure for handling bullets and cartridges is similar. A bullet is mounted in a holder and the operator launches the Bulletproof software. Basic data about the associated crime, such as the case number, is typed in and then the system takes over. The bullet is digitally photographed by a self-focusing camera, and the resulting data is transferred to the SAS computer. The operation is repeated for cartridge cases using a separate mount. The operator uses the Brasscatcher program to photograph the markings that were made by contact with the firing pin and ejector mechanism and by contact with the breech of the gun.

Machine Vision
Up to this point the system has not done anything out of the ordinary. Forensic ballistics experts have photographed and examined bullets and cartridge cases for generations. What IBIS does is buy these experts the luxury of time and distance. This is made possible by an underlying technology commonly referred to as "machine vision." It is not seeing in the human sense of the word. The closest familiar analogy is balancing your checkbook. Inside IBIS, fingerprints exist as mathematical representations—strings of binary numbers. Just as you might look on your monthly bank statement for a check that represents a payment of $48.67, IBIS looks for bullets that match the mathematical description of one just entered as evidence.

As more jurisdictions sign up for the program—there are currently 175 users worldwide—the number of potential matches increases. In this way, IBIS extends the already long arm of the law beyond the ballistics files maintained by an individual jurisdictional area. And it is this capability that has produced some of the most striking results by solving the oldest and seemingly coldest cases.

National Integrated Ballistics Information Network



The National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) was developed by a partnership between the FBI and the ATF. Each agency had its own imaging system with networked search capabilities; however, the FBI’s Drugfire system and the ATF’s IBIS system were incompatible. The FBI and ATF acknowledged the need for the two competing systems to be interoperable so that an image captured by one system could be analyzed and correlated on the other system. In May of 1997, the NIBIN board was created to unify efforts of developing a national imaging system. After extensive research into the interoperability of Drugfire and IBIS, they decided to pursue the joint development of one system. In December of 1999, the FBI and ATF signed a memorandum of understanding defining their role in the NIBIN program. The FBI will be responsible for providing the communications network and the ATF will be responsible for field operations.



The United States is divided into 16 regions with 222 sites. Alabama , along with Georgia , constitutes region 12. There are 5 sites in Alabama , 4 within the Department of Forensic Sciences. IBIS is located in the Huntsville , Birmingham , Montgomery and Mobile Regional Laboratories. The fifth site is located at the Birmingham Police Department.



Through the NIBIN program, Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) equipment is used to compare firearms related evidence stored in the database. IBIS digitally captures the images of fired bullets and fired cartridge cases from crime scenes and test fires from recovered firearms. When a new image is entered, the system searches the existing database for a match. When a possible match is observed, a firearms examiner must compare the actual evidence with a comparison microscope. Once an identification has been made by the examination of the actual evidence, a “hit” is noted in the system. A hit is defined as a linkage of at least two different crime investigations where there previously had been no known connection. NIBIN allows for links between investigations across jurisdictional boundaries.

Successful Use of Technology to Improve Public Safety:
DRUGFIRE

Description:

DRUGFIRE is an automated, computerized forensic firearms identification system that integrates, cartridge case, shotshell and bullet analysis, as well as electronic firearms reference libraries, on a single computer platform. DRUGFIRE enables forensic firearms examiners to identify possible matches in microscopic marks on bullets and cartridge cases to determine if the ammunition specimens have been fired by the same weapon. With this information, examiners can link a firearm to one or more criminal acts.

This imaging system is designed to increase the effectiveness of forensic firearms examinations. Using DRUGFIRE images in an automated database, Firearms examiners throughout Florida are able to search unsolved cases, store data and images, and compare imaged bullets, cartridge cases, and shotshells. Once a probable identification is made via DRUGFIRE, the physical evidence is compared for positive identifications. ‘Cold hits’ are those relationships made solely by the DRUGFIRE system whereas, ‘warm hits’ are made based on investigative information that indicates a relationship between crimes.

This system is the most significant advancement in the discipline of forensic firearms identification since the development of the ballistics comparison microscope over 70 years ago. The system uses proven forensic firearms analysis methodologies, high resolution imaging, correlation matching software and computer networking to provide today’s busy crime lab with a state –of-the-art crime solving tool. Crime laboratories can solve cases across local, regional, national and international boundaries.

DRUGFIRE is installed in over 100 crime labs worldwide

DRUGFIRE is used by more than 500 firearms examiners and technicians

DRUGFIRE has processes over 65,0000 cases worldwide

DRUGFIRE has matched more than 5,200 cases worldwide



Organizational Impact of Technology:

DRUGFIRE links previously unrelated shootings regardless of location or jurisdiction. It also stores images from all agencies for future comparisons. DRUGFIRE provides a nationwide database link for comparison of bullets and cartridge cases. DRUGFIRE can also create leads for investigators to help solve crimes. The DRUGFIRE comparison did not replace an existing examination, it created an additional one.



Impact:

Case One

On November 18, 1998, the Pensacola Laboratory Firearms section made a "Cold Hit" on DRUGFIRE. This involved a 9mm semi-automatic pistol submitted by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. The weapon was confiscated from an individual who was charged with weapons violation, resisting an officer with violence and aggravated battery of a police officer. A fired casing from the pistol matched an evidence casing recovered from a 1997 Bay County attempted murder. A victim was shot in the face while sitting in his vehicle. Prior to the DRUGFIRE hit, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) had no suspect nor new leads in the attempted murder. Although more investigative work must be done, one year later, the BCSO now has the weapon used in the attempted murder.



Case Two

In August of 1998 the Montgomery Alabama Police Department (MPD) contacted the Tallahassee Regional Crime Laboratory concerning a local homicide. The suspects’ vehicle had been chased by MPD and eventually abandoned by the suspects, who left a firearm inside it. Investigation by Alabama authorities determined that one of the two suspects later apprehended in Alabama had possible connections to Tallahassee, where he may have committed other crimes. Laboratory staff in Alabama test-fired the suspect’s weapon and imaged the cartridge cases for entry into DRUGFIRE. Subsequently, these images were electronically transmitted to the Tallahassee Regional Crime Laboratory where they were matched to a carjacking case being investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department in which the victim had been shot. The investigation of this case is ongoing.

11.27.2001
Forensic Technology Opens US Headquarters and Operations Center in Largo, Florida

LARGO, Fla. – November 27, 2001 – Forensic Technology the only supplier of ballistics technology to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) Board, which is comprised of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announces the opening of its United States headquarters and operations center in Largo.

With its world headquarters near Montreal, FTI, the creator of the Integrated Ballistics Information System (IBIS), selected Tampa Bay as its U.S. home because of the Pinellas Star Center and its technology focus; the quality of life benefits the area offered and an accessible, advanced international airport (Tampa International).

“The need for security around the world has never been greater,” stated Robert A. Walsh, president, Forensic Technology. “As such, the IBIS systems produced from this new facility will help ensure that when a firearm is used in any crime, law enforcement has the best information available to be able to quickly identify it, trace it, and pursue the criminal who used it.”

With the heightened state the World is currently in, FTI’s IBIS system stands to aid law enforcement across the world. IBIS digitally captures the images of bullets and cartridge cases, stores them in a database, performs automatic computer-based comparisons of the images and ranks them according to the likelihood of a match. The firearm examiner in the forensic lab is then able to employ their specialized skills in performing microscopic comparisons of high-confidence candidates.

The system’s major contribution to crime solving is its unprecedented ability to automatically search a database for potential matches from thousands of previously entered pieces of evidence. This analysis can be done locally, nationally, or internationally, opening up tremendous possibilities to link previously unlinkable crimes. This empowerment enables the firearm examiner to be a proactive contributor to criminal investigations and crime solutions.

FTI will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet, which will house assembly, training and customer service, and employ more than 30 employees. Michel Bellavance, general manager, will head the U.S. Operations.

[7mmag6]

the cartridge is manufacture proof that the weapon fired the expended round, proof of operation

after starting this thread and researching the answer to this topic on the internet..I've come across proof that the Government is finding a way to register guns

[Rufus Rhastus J]

Duh!!!!