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Development of a 3D-based Automated Firearms Evidence Comparison System

NCJ Number
198075
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 47 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 1253-1264
Author(s)
Benjamin Bachrach Ph.D.
Editor(s)
Michael A. Peat Ph.D.
Date Published
November 2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study explored the development and feasibility of 3D-based capture methodologies as an alternative to existing 2D-based methodologies for automated examination of microscopic ballistic evidence.
Abstract
At the core of forensic firearms examinations is the ability to perform bullet-to-bullet comparisons based on microscopic surface features. Automated search and retrieval systems for the comparison of microscopic firearms evidence provide a powerful screening tool for firearms examiners. These systems enable the comparison of large amounts of evidence transforming forensic ballistic analysis from an evidence verification tool into a crime-fighting tool. This paper proposes a 3D characterization of the bullet’s surface as an alternative to a 2D characterization. The paper begins with a discussion on the development and preliminary results obtained with SciClops(tm), an automated microscopic comparison system based on the use of a 3D characterization of the bullet’s surface. This is followed by a brief background on computer-aided comparison of microscopic firearms evidence in general, their main components, and a comparison of 2D versus 3D-based data acquisition techniques. Principles applied and results obtained using 3D-based data acquisition methodologies are presented. The preliminary evaluations indicate that a 3D-based system shows considerable potential. However, in terms of performance the integration of both 2D and 3D data acquisition offers the best of both worlds. Figures and references

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