NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS REGIONAL CRIME LABORATORY


To Provide Accurate, Objective and Timely Forensic Services



FIREARMS/TOOLMARKS



Toolmark experts determine if a specific tool produced a toolmark on an object. A tool is a harder item which imparts toolmarks on a softer object upon contact.

Firearm identification is a category of toolmark identification. A firearm is considered a sophisticated tool. Firearm identification is the determination whether or not a fired bullet, discharged cartridge or other ammunition component was fired by a specific firearm.


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analysis:



The Firearm and Toolmark Section examines submitted firearms, tools/toolmarks, fired evidence, clothing, silencing devices, and fractured items for the following:


  • Function testing of firearms – including malfunction check, trigger pull, alterations and/or conversions to full-automatic fire


  • Determine manufacturer(s) of firearms that could have fired ammunition components


  • Examine clothing and other items for gunshot residue or shot pellet patterns to ascertain a muzzle to target distance determination


  • Determine manufacturer(s) of fired ammunition components


  • Examination of silencers and devices to reduce the report of a firearm


  • Ejection pattern study of discharged cartridges and/or discharged shot shells


  • Serial number restorations


  • Entry of evidence and test fired discharged cartridges and discharged shot shells into the Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS)


  • Measurement of long gun length and overall length


  • Microscopic comparison of fired evidence components to submitted firearms


  • Microscopic comparison of questioned toolmarks to submitted tool standards


  • Microscopic comparison of recovered fractured items to determine if the fractured items at one time formed a single object


ibis:



The Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) is a computer system that enables the imaging and correlation of fired evidence across a network of sites on the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). Fired evidence entered into IBIS includes: discharged cartridges, discharged shot shells and test fired cartridges and shot shells. Entries into IBIS are made to determine if other unsolved crimes can be linked via the unique individual characteristics imparted by the firearm onto the fired evidence. Upon entry, IBIS will automatically correlate against a region of states surrounding Illinois. The forensic scientist will then review potential matching fired evidence candidates. The forensic scientist has to the ability to manually select any state, region or country that utilizes IBIS.



northeastern illinois regional crime laboratory



Mundelein, il 60060

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