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Ballistic Fingerprints: New crimebusting technology on the scene
United Press Int'l ^ | 12/30/2002 | ADRIANNA BORKOWSKI

Posted on 12/30/2002 10:36:38 AM PST by new cruelty

New crimebusting technology on the scene

By ADRIANNA BORKOWSKI, UPI Business Correpondent

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Trace the microscopic bumps and ridges that are burned and scraped into a criminal's discharged ammunition and you may have the key to unlocking a series of violent crimes.

That's what one of Forensics Technology Inc.'s products does.

The Montreal-based company's IBIS -- Integrated Ballistics Identification System -- decodes a gun's "DNA" from bullets and cartridge casings. The company was created when a Canadian law enforcement officer approached businessman Robert Walsh in 1990 with an idea for using machine vision in forensics.

"For me it was fascinating. It was something that had never been done before, and there was a definite confirmed problem in law enforcement -- the volume of evidence was too high, and they didn't have enough resources," said Walsh, president of FTI.

Within a year, Walsh created imaging machines and computers that captured the images of a bullet, translated the image into pixels and numbers and stored the information in a database.

"I found that unlike in the industrial sector, (the) law enforcement or forensic labs were an underserved market. People were certainly selling software, but for someone to go with an integrated approach to a specific problem, not many people were doing that," Walsh said.

FTI, a privately owned company since its 1992 incorporation, has grown quickly, from an initial three or four employees to 240 employees. They have been contracted in 29 countries including Colombia, Israel, South Africa and Russia and Algeria.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at kevxml2a.infospace.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: ammo; banglist; crime; guns; technology
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1 posted on 12/30/2002 10:36:39 AM PST by new cruelty
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To: new cruelty
Sure. Just like the NJ Smart Gun Technology that DOESN'T exist yet. In fact, we should do away with automobiles & use the Transporters...even though that technology DOEESN'T EXIST YET!
2 posted on 12/30/2002 10:39:09 AM PST by Puppage
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To: new cruelty
Yeah, this is so effective, they were able to link the bullets from the DC Sniper to shootings in Alabama, Louisiana and Arizona to help crack that case.

Oops, they only did that after other leads pointed investigators in that direction. Nevermind... /sarcasm

3 posted on 12/30/2002 10:40:06 AM PST by dirtboy
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To: new cruelty
NIBIN, using IBIS technology, is extremely effective," says the ATF's NIBIN Director Patty Galupo.

Sounds A-OK. This is a BFD and they need do do this ASAP on the QT before we are all DOA and RIP.....

4 posted on 12/30/2002 10:50:26 AM PST by isthisnickcool
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To: isthisnickcool
Yeah, fool proof.

Oh excuse me, only fools would believe this. About 25 passes with JB borepast and BINGO! no more ID marks.

5 posted on 12/30/2002 11:05:34 AM PST by Crucis Country
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To: Crucis Country
·Fool proof plans are made for fools by fools.
6 posted on 12/30/2002 11:10:00 AM PST by Varmint Al
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To: new cruelty
decodes a gun's "DNA" from bullets and cartridge casings

There is no end to the number of idiots available to swallow whatever drivel there are fed.

A gun does not have a DNA. DNA by its very nature acknowledges that DNA is not changeable under any possible conditions therefore DNA is safe to be used as a reference.

Until you can file, or edit, a person's DNA I think it is a lie to assert that guns have DNA.

7 posted on 12/30/2002 11:17:43 AM PST by MosesKnows
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To: *bang_list
More lies from the mainstream media about ballistic "fingerprinting." They're more like ballistic snapshots, because they change with time.
8 posted on 12/30/2002 11:40:53 AM PST by coloradan
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To: new cruelty
As effective as using baby pictures on wanted posters.

I don't know who initially said that, but I think it was someone from the NRA.
9 posted on 12/30/2002 11:44:15 AM PST by Shooter 2.5
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To: Varmint Al
·Fool proof plans are made for fools by fools.

One of Murphy's Laws states, "There is no such thing as a foolproof system, because fools are so ingenious."

10 posted on 12/30/2002 11:45:45 AM PST by Dan Day
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To: Crucis Country
Oh excuse me, only fools would believe this. About 25 passes with JB borepast and BINGO! no more ID marks.

I was making fun of all the letters they use to describe everything. I should have added /saracsm off:)

This is a dumb idea. For numerous reasons. But hey, they have 240 people employed! The rats would think that's reason enough to keep contracting for this garbage.

11 posted on 12/30/2002 11:47:49 AM PST by isthisnickcool
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To: Crucis Country
"Oh excuse me, only fools would believe this."

You should probably try to understand the concept before you post more foolish remarks. Posters on this forum have a responsibility to be factual or state when their writing is unsubstantiated opinion.

Why do you believe this technology has anything to do with bullets and/or firearm barrels?

The technology is here and it works. It deals primarily with fired shellcases and the telltale marks left on the shellcase after firing a cartridge in a particular firearm. Moderate gunsmithing skills and tools are needed to offer even a fair chance of defeating the system. All machining marks must be removed from the firearms breech face, firing pin, ejector, extractor and chamber. Please don’t waste anyone’s time by rebutting that barrels can be changed, firing pins can be changed, etc.

Constitutional issues abound but you are barking up the wrong tree to fight this on a technology basis.

12 posted on 12/30/2002 11:55:29 AM PST by Buffalo Head
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To: Shooter 2.5
I saw that Pierre what's his name of the NRA said that during Meet the Press debating Chuck Shumer.

One thing Shumer kept saying was the fact the surveys of law enforcement liked it, becuase it would be easier to catch criminals. I have another point though, besides the inefficiencies of the system:
Since its regarding gun control, there's no media worries about encoachments on rights. Wouldn't law enforcement would also be helped if we put everyone's DNA in a big database so it be easier to identify suspects? However, nobody would like that...especially the ACLU and other people who like to stereotype Ascroft and Republicans as removing people's rights. So how is the big DNA bank for guns different than for people?
13 posted on 12/30/2002 11:56:15 AM PST by Barney Gumble
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To: Buffalo Head
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20021021-93494680.htm

http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/bfprint/

http://www.jointogether.org/gv/news/summaries/reader/0,2061,554864,00.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec02/ballistics.html

There seems to be very little evidence that this is a reliable technology, short of the BATF's study. I guess its a question of who you can trust. Personally, the BATF isn't high on my list of trustworthy agencies. The NRA has a far better track record, IMHO.
14 posted on 12/30/2002 12:13:12 PM PST by babyface00
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To: Buffalo Head
you are barking up the wrong tree to fight this on a technology basis.
Do you own a firearm? Where do you get your information from? Do you know how easy it is to stone and polish the hammer? Or how simple it is to replace the firing pin? Do you even realize that most firearms do NOT eject the shell casings automatically so how exactly would they retrieve them to match the fingerprinting? Not to mention that if this system goes into effect the perps could just pick up the shell casings from firearms that do eject them. Do you even realize that you can get a "shell catcher" for just about any semi-auto firearm and that it will then store any ejected shells; therefore there will be none to be found???

You wrote:
Moderate gunsmithing skills and tools are needed to offer even a fair chance of defeating the system
Just about anyone and everyone who owns a firearm has these skills or has the capability of learning them. Why? Because anyone who owns a firearm and actually uses it has to clean it and doing the things mentioned previously are not any harder than what one alreadys has to do to clen their firearm. It's not rocket science by any means.

Trust me you are the one barking up the wrong tree. It would take about five minutes to defeat this system. It really irks me when people try to sound like experts about things that they so obviously know absolutely nothing about...

This system is idiotic on oh so many levels!
15 posted on 12/30/2002 12:16:50 PM PST by RebelDawg
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To: Barney Gumble
Good point.

By the way, the man's name is Wayne LaPierre.
16 posted on 12/30/2002 12:18:42 PM PST by Shooter 2.5
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To: Buffalo Head
"Moderate gunsmithing skills and tools are needed to offer even a fair chance of defeating the system."

I suppose that if you consider rubbing a scrap of sandpaper to be 'moderate gunsmithing skills and tools," then you are correct.
17 posted on 12/30/2002 12:23:19 PM PST by Atlas Sneezed
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To: RebelDawg
The people who are in favor of this system can alway troop down to their local law enforecment with their guns and have them IDed. You know that old saying, "someone shouldn't expect someone to do something they aren't willing to do themselves". LOL
18 posted on 12/30/2002 12:24:52 PM PST by Shooter 2.5
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To: new cruelty
This technology ignores reloaders. I get most of my semi-auto brass from the police range. Whose fingerprints will be on that?
19 posted on 12/30/2002 12:38:49 PM PST by NJ Mountain Goat
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To: NJ Mountain Goat
You don't have to be a reloader for that. All you have to do is pick up their brass and then use a brass catcher on your gun, then toss the found brass. They still won't know where it came from. Police and military will be exempt, doncha know.
20 posted on 12/30/2002 12:56:11 PM PST by Shooter 2.5
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