Identifying an Unknown Paint System Using the RCMP PDQ Program

Using a typical OEM paint system, the PDQ Maintenance Team will walk through the best practices to efficiently use the database and spectral libraries to identify the most likely source of an unknown paint system. Details gathered from this process include manufacturing plant, year range, and models.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Paint Data Query (PDQ) program is an international OEM automotive paint database used to help identify possible suspect vehicles involved in hit and run incidents based on paint evidence left at the scene of a crime. Paint systems on an automobile typically have three or four layers: a clear coat over a topcoat over one or more undercoats. Each paint layer contains pigments, fillers, and binders. Automotive manufacturing plants often use unique combinations of paint layers, which allow forensic scientists to determine the most likely manufacturing plant, make/model, and year range for the vehicle from which the paint chip originated.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 8, 2020.