Emerging 3D Technologies in Firearm and Toolmarks Examination

This video is one of 12 from the recorded at the Firearm and Toolmarks Policy and Practice Forum hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence January 11–14, 2022. Day 3 focused on emerging technologies. Presentations include:

• Law Enforcement Perspective of Evidence IQ Ballistic IQ Imaging Software System
• Ballistics IQ for the Crime Laboratory; Lacey Oden, Escambia County Sheriff's Office; Deion P. Christophe, Plano Police Department
• Evofinder®: From Validation to Implementation; Michael Beddow, Phoenix Police Department Crime Laboratory
• Reference Population Database for Firearms and Toolmarks; Xiaoyu Alan Zheng, National Institute of Standards and Technology 

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.