U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

Trace evidence

Just Collecting More Evidence from Cartridge Cases

October 2023

In episode two of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with crime scene technician Brian Turner and Detective Roberto Caceres from the Broward County Sheriff's Office to discuss a new methodology for processing fired cartridge cases. When a cartridge case is recovered from a crime scene, investigators must typically decide whether to swab it for DNA or process it for latent prints.

Impression, Pattern & Trace Evidence Research and Development: 2022 NIJ Forensic R&D Symposium

March 2022

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of four videos from the 2022 symposium, which was held March 1-2, 2022.

Presentations include -

2022 NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. The 2024 symposium was was held March 1-2, 2022.

NIJ and its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence are committed to improving the practice of forensic science and strengthening its impact by supporting research and development, rigorous technology evaluation and...

Impression, Pattern & Trace Evidence Research & Development: Presentations at the 2024 R&D Symposium

September 2024

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is an open meeting where attendees can learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of five videos from the 2024 symposium, which was held September 19, 2024.

The Forensic Examination and Comparison of Plastic Garbage Bags

August 2024

Plastic bags are present in many criminal cases. Analyzing these bags in a forensic case can sometimes identify the manufacturer. More importantly, forensic comparison of bags from a known box or other known source can determine whether the bag could have originated from that source. This webinar discusses the manufacturing process, class and randomly acquired characteristics, examination techniques, and comparisons between questioned and known bags. The final segment includes a discussion of recent research in this area, followed by a question-and-answer period.

2025 NIJ Forensic Research and Development Symposium: Impression, Pattern, & Trace (Session 1)

February 2025

The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence assisted the National Institute of Justice in hosting the annual NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at the 77th Annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. This video is one of five recorded sessions from the event. 

Presentations include - 

Forensic Analysis of Cosmetics

February 2022

This webinar is designed to provide a peek behind the curtain of cosmetics, specifically those applied to the face. The presenter will provide an overview of common cosmetic ingredients, including the typical usage levels and their purpose in these products. The presenter will also discuss various analytical approaches and limitations to the analysis of cosmetic products and their individual components.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 17, 2022.