Gun crimes and shootings have been increasing on city streets and within public areas according to crime studies. This course will provide the police officer, detective, forensic scientist, and student with an overview of the value of forensic evidence in gun crimes.
The course is taught by an experienced firearms examiner with many years of forensic laboratory and street experience. The course will cover different firearms, how they function, and the markings made on bullets and shell casings, as well as the trace evidence that can be found to help solve gun crimes. Firearms handling and safety will be covered as well. POSTC credit will be sought for police officers.
Topics to be covered in this seminar will include:
- Ballistics evidence: from bullet holes, angles, distance, trajectory, penetration, shell casings and primer and ejector marks and ejection patterns for different types of weapons, estimating position of shooter, etc.
- Weapons: different types and calibers, wounds and wound patterns, GSR deposits, etc.
- Evidence: fingerprints, DNA, handling, collecting, packaging, transmitting, processing. Weapon models and serial numbers, tracing and NIBIN entries and queries…to solve gun crimes, will be covered.