Join Bill King in a discussion about the operations of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), a program through which firearms examiners at state and local crime laboratories compare tool marks on fired bullets or cartridges found at a crime scene to digitized images of ballistic evidence in a nationwide database.
Dr. King headed up a team of NIJ-funded researchers from four universities (Sam Houston State University, Arizona State University, American University and the University of Cincinnati) that examined the value of NIBIN database "hits" in solving crimes in which firearms are used. He will talk about the team's findings and recommendations for improving the tactical value (using a NIBIN hit to link crimes that were not previously known to be related and, in turn, identify suspects) and the strategic value (helping law enforcement understand larger patterns of gun crime, including criminal activities of street gangs and drug cartels) of the NIBIN program.
Dr. King was joined by John Risenhoover, NIBIN's national coordinator at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who will discuss how ATF has used the research findings in an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of NIBIN.