Handgun 'fingerprints' could lead to criminal prosecutions

[DaveM55]

http://www.policeone.com/police-tech...-prosecutions/

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York's 7-year-old database of handgun "fingerprints" has yet to lead to a criminal prosecution, and questions linger about its effectiveness. Still, state police remain committed to the database, saying more time and a long-awaited link to a federal ballistics database could bring success.

Since March 2001, identifying information about more than 200,000 new pistols and revolvers sold in New York have been entered into the Combined Ballistic Identification System database maintained by state police. New York and Maryland are the only two states that maintain statewide databases.

New guns are test fired, and the minute markings the guns make on the shell casings are recorded and entered into the digital database.

Proponents say the markings are as unique as fingerprints and can be compared against shell casings found at crime scenes. The results as of August: 209,239 casings entered into New York's database, 7,124 inquiries and two hits.

Both hits were several years ago and involve separate crimes in Rochester — a drive-by shooting that resulted in an injury and an incident involving shots fired — and neither resulted in a prosecution, according to state and Rochester city police.

Gun advocates, who have opposed the database from the get-go as unworkable, claim the lack of results is evidence of the system's failure. They contend that a gun's "fingerprints" can be changed easily by taking a file to the breech face. Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, said the state would be better served by spending the money for the database — which police say costs about $1 million a year — on more police.

"We don't have to be throwing millions of dollars into a program that doesn't work," he said.

continued at link...

[normanvin]

Well the system seems to work on all of the CSI shows.

I hate to say it but they may be right. It might be a case of the technology is not up to snuff yet. I am sure the fingerprint system did not work right out of the gate.

[Statkowski]

Possibly, but human fingerprints don't change over time from use, firearms "fingerprints" do. Despite what's being forced through them, be it lead, copper, peanut butter or gerbils, the lands and grooves in a firearm's barrel will degrade and get worn down with each firing. Thus, the so-called fingerprint taken when the firearm was new has nothing to do with the firearm some 500 or 1,000 firings later. That's what "the authorities" don't want to hear, or choose to ignore.

[normanvin]

Originally Posted by Statkowski

Possibly, but human fingerprints don't change over time from use, firearms "fingerprints" do. Despite what's being forced through them, be it lead, copper, peanut butter or gerbils, the lands and grooves in a firearm's barrel will degrade and get worn down with each firing. Thus, the so-called fingerprint taken when the firearm was new has nothing to do with the firearm some 500 or 1,000 firings later. That's what "the authorities" don't want to hear, or choose to ignore.

This is true..


But it works on CSI.

[DaveM55]

I think the fingerprinting they do in NY is from the casing, not the actual bullet. Either can be altered fairly easily.

[Brown-Bear]

209,239 casings entered + 7,124 inquiries + 2 hits = System useless.

Onew way to look at this is that a MILLION DOLLARS has been spent every year over the past 7 years added up equals FOURTEEN MILLION spent and all they can show for it is 2 matches that ended with out convictios. How many police officers, firefighters, teachers, or other public servants could that money have paid for?


Dave

[PocketProtector]

Originally Posted by Brown-Bear

209,239 casings entered + 7,124 inquiries + 2 hits = System useless.

Onew way to look at this is that a MILLION DOLLARS has been spent every year over the past 7 years added up equals FOURTEEN MILLION spent and all they can show for it is 2 matches that ended with out convictios. How many police officers, firefighters, teachers, or other public servants could that money have paid for?


Dave

+1 It's all feel good BS. Keep the freaks in jail and problems solved.

[Brick]

New York State takes samples of both fired bullets and cases. They are interested in obtaining unique markings from the rifling on the bullet, the breech face on the base of the cartridge case, the extractor and ejector on the case rim (for semi-autos) and the firing pin on the primer. How many of these are needed for them to say what came from which gun I don't know. But I would bet dollars to donuts that if a gun is heavily used they'd have a hard time just to identify the manufacturer of the firearm.

California did a pretty exhaustive test of their similar system and found it useless and recommended against its continuance.

[emsjeep]

all I know is that they have a casing and round from me....and I can't wait until they come knocking on my door with a misidentified piece of evidence and an arrest warrant...

Correction...you can send them a casing (have to?) (an FFL has to?) so I don't think that they expect you to recover a fired round, I believe the system is based on casings.

[Mosinshooter762]

What stops someone from picking up shells at a range and throwing them at the crime scene?