2022 Firearm and Toolmarks Policy and Practice Forum PDF Download

Author: Nicole S. Jones
Publisher: RTI Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, an NIJ program hosted a four-day symposium, January 11–14, 2022. The symposium included presentations and panel discussions on topics relevant to recent advances in firearm and toolmark examination with a focus on the future. The symposium brought together 685 criminal justice professionals to explore implementation of three-dimensional (3D) imaging technologies, best practices for forensic examination of firearm and toolmark evidence, federal initiatives, gun crime intelligence, black box studies on firearm and toolmark examination, legal challenges to the admissibility of current examination of firearm and toolmark evidence and engineering solutions that will be used in court in the future, implementation of Organization of Scientific Area Committee (OSAC) standards and reporting, uniform language in testimony and conclusion scales. The panel discussions and presentations and provided examples of how agencies implement new imaging technologies for firearms and toolmark examination, incorporate statistics to add weight to forensic comparisons, address legal issues, and operationalize forensic intelligence to improve public safety and share information with the justice community. The symposium also provided a platform to discuss a series of considerations for the forensic, law enforcement, and greater criminal justice community that could help support a successful national transition to incorporate statistics in forensic testimony and accelerate the adoption of imaging technologies for firearm and toolmark examination.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309142393
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Author: Patricia A. Melton.
Publisher: RTI Press
ISBN:
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 37

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Book Description
Sexual assault is a violent crime that traumatizes individual victims and endangers entire communities. Every victim of sexual assault deserves an opportunity for justice and access to the resources they need to recover from this trauma. In addition, many perpetrators of sexual assaults are serial offenders who also commit other violent crimes, including armed robberies, aggravated assaults, burglary, domestic violence, and homicides, against strangers and acquaintances. Criminal justice agencies have the power to create a strategic, sustainable plan for an improved response to sexual assault that aligns with current best practices and national recommendations. In this document, we define an “improved response” as an approach that supports effective investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases, holds perpetrators accountable, and promotes healing and recovery for victims of sexual assault. This guide will help prosecutor and law enforcement agencies create a process with milestones, goals, and suggested actions, all designed to support a successful and sustainable approach for addressing sexual assault cases. Improving the criminal justice system’s response to sexual assault ultimately improves public safety and promotes trust between criminal justice agencies and the communities they serve.

Author: Natasha Simone Alexenko
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781503943414
Category : Evidence preservation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
An inspiring true story of love, hope, and victory--and of one woman who was determined to make a difference in the wake of a crime. On August 6, 1993, twenty-year-old Natasha Alexenko was assaulted at gunpoint. After nearly a decade, her backlogged rape kit was finally tested and her rapist, who roamed free for ten years, was brought to justice. On the day he was sentenced, Alexenko vowed that she would no longer be a statistic and would do whatever she could to help police on behalf of other rape victims. In 2011, she founded Natasha's Justice Project (NJP), a nonprofit committed to ending the rape-kit backlog. This unflinching memoir chronicles her journey from trauma to triumph. Despite personal setbacks and bureaucratic obstacles, Alexenko refuses to give up on her determination to raise awareness of a problem even worse than she imagined, as tens of thousands of untested rape kits languish in crime storage facilities across the country. Written for fellow survivors, their families, law enforcement, and anyone impacted by rape, her deeply personal story is a testament to the power of one person to make a profound change.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309117240
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
Ballistic Imaging assesses the state of computer-based imaging technology in forensic firearms identification. The book evaluates the current law enforcement database of images of crime-related cartridge cases and bullets and recommends ways to improve the usefulness of the technology for suggesting leads in criminal investigations. It also advises against the construction of a national reference database that would include images from test-fires of every newly manufactured or imported firearm in the United States. The book also suggests further research on an alternate method for generating an investigative lead to the location where a gun was first sold: "microstamping," the direct imprinting of unique identifiers on firearm parts or ammunition.

Author: Michael G. Haag
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0123822424
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
Forensic scientists, law enforcement, and crime scene investigators are often tasked with reconstruction of events based on crime scene evidence, and the subsequent analysis of that evidence. The use and misuse of firearms to perpetrate crimes from theft to murder necessitates numerous invitations to reconstruct shooting incidents. The discharge of firearms and the behavior of projectiles create many forms of physical evidence that, through proper testing and interpretation by a skilled forensic scientist, can establish what did and what did not occur. This book is generated from the authors' numerous years of conducting courses and seminars on the subject of shooting incident reconstruction. It seeks to thoroughly address matters from simple to complex in providing the reader an explanation of the factors surrounding ballistics, trajectory, and shooting scenes. The ultimate objectives of this unique book are to assist investigators, crime scene analysts, pathologists, ballistics experts, and lawyers to understand the terminology, science, and factors involved in reconstructing shooting incident events to solve forensic cases. The book will cover the full range of related topics including the range from which a firearm was discharged, the sequence of shots in a multiple discharge shooting incident, the position of a firearm at the moment of discharge, the position of a victim at the moment of impact, the probable flight path of a projectile, the manner in which a firearm was discharged and much more. Written by the most well-respected shooting scene and ballistics experts in the world Contains over 200 full-color diagrams and photographs that support and illustrate key concepts Case studies illustrate real-world application of technical concepts

Author: Ronald Nichols
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128134623
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
Firearm and Tool Mark Identification: The Scientific Reliability of the Forensic Science Discipline examines the scientific reliability of the firearm and tool mark identification discipline (FATM-ID). It answers two primary questions that are necessary to assess the reliability of FATM-ID, including 1) Do different tools produce different tool marks? and 2) Can a trained examiner reliably distinguish among them? Other books published on the topic have assumed these true and have simply discussed what is involved in the discipline. This book brings together the most recent studies, serving as a well-referenced, single resource that shows that FATM-ID is scientifically reliable. Intended primarily for firearm and tool mark examiners, this valuable resource serves as a primary requirement for the training of firearm and tool mark examiners. Finally, it will be a valuable resource for attorneys who are seeking to better understand the scientific reliability of FATM-ID. Written by a foremost expert in FATM-ID, the book provides a complete and scientific examination for anyone involved in firearm and tool mark identification. Provides a single resource that examines the scientific reliability of firearm and tool mark identification Covers the role of bias in the examination process and how it can impact the reliability of the final outcome Written by an expert in the field with over 25 years of firearm and tool mark experience

Author: Vincent J.M. DiMaio, M.D.
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781420048377
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
Written by the nation's foremost authority on gunshot wounds and forensic techniques as they relate to firearm injuries, Gunshot Wounds: Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques, Second Edition provides critical information on gunshot wounds and the weapons and ammunition used to inflict them. The book describes practical aspects of ballistics, wound ballistics, and the classification of various wounds caused by handguns, bang guns, rifles, and shotguns. The final chapters explain autopsy technique and procedure and laboratory analysis relating to weapons and gunshot evidence.

Author: Brian J. Heard
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119964776
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
The updated second edition of Handbook of Firearms and Ballistics includes recent developed analytical techniques and methodologies with a more comprehensive glossary, additional material, and new case studies. With a new chapter on the determination of bullet caliber via x-ray photography, this edition includes revised material on muzzle attachments, proof marks, non-toxic bullets, and gunshot residues. Essential reading for forensic scientists, firearms examiners, defense and prosecution practitioners, the judiciary, and police force, this book is also a helpful reference guide for undergraduate and graduate forensic science students.

Author: U. S. Department Justice
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781500674151
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The idea of The Fingerprint Sourcebook originated during a meeting in April 2002. Individuals representing the fingerprint, academic, and scientific communities met in Chicago, Illinois, for a day and a half to discuss the state of fingerprint identification with a view toward the challenges raised by Daubert issues. The meeting was a joint project between the International Association for Identification (IAI) and West Virginia University (WVU). One recommendation that came out of that meeting was a suggestion to create a sourcebook for friction ridge examiners, that is, a single source of researched information regarding the subject. This sourcebook would provide educational, training, and research information for the international scientific community.