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Gunshot residue contamination of the hands of police offices following start-of-shift handling of their firearm

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Forensic Science International published a research article by Michael Cook in Nov. 2016. The study found that 85 percent of officers had 3-component GSR particles on their hands immediately following the start-of-shift handling of their firearms.

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An experimental investigation of the indirect transfer and deposition of gunshot residue: Further studies carried out with SEM–EDX analysis

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In this research study, as many as 22 particles were found to have undergone tertiary transfer via a series of handshakes following a firearm discharge. Significant numbers of particles were also recovered from bystanders, with as many as 36 being detected on a sample taken from an individual who was in the proximity of a …

An experimental investigation of the indirect transfer and deposition of gunshot residue: Further studies carried out with SEM–EDX analysisRead More

The secondary transfer of gunshot residue: an experimental investigation carried out with SEM-EDX analysis

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Findings from this research study demonstrate that relatively large amounts of GSR can be transferred to an individual immediately after the discharge of the firearm, through contact with the hands of the shooter or handling of the gun. These findings suggest that the presence of GSR (especially in small quantities) may not always indicate that …

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Hypothesis Testing of the Critical Underlying Premise of Discernible Uniqueness in Firearms-Toolmarks Forensic Practice

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Article by William A. Tobin and Peter J. Blau that argues that existing studies that are typically presented in court as support for firearm/projectile comparisons are fatally flawed and thus are of no value for validation of the techniques used. The authors offer a solution that would allow a scientifically defensible opinion to be proffered …

Hypothesis Testing of the Critical Underlying Premise of Discernible Uniqueness in Firearms-Toolmarks Forensic PracticeRead More

Analysis of experiments in forensic firearms/toolmarks practice offered as support for low rates of practice error and claims of inferential certainty

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Article by Clifford Spiegelman and William A. Tobin that evaluates experiments used to justify conclusions of “individualization” or specific source attribution to “100% certainty” and “near-zero” rates of error claimed by firearm toolmark examiners in court testimonies and suggests approaches for establishing statistical foundations for this firearm and toolmark comparisons.

Analysis of experiments in forensic firearms/toolmarks practice offered as support for low rates of practice error and claims of inferential certaintyRead More

Sworls and Whorls: Litigating Post-Conviction Claims of Fingerprint Misidentification after the NAS Report

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by Jacqueline McMurtrie, , Utah Law Review, Vol 2010, No. 2. – addresses uniqueness, individualization and infallibility claims of fingerprint examination, the history of latent print individualization, recent legal challenges to latent print individualization, and the NAS report and its use in post-conviction claims based upon new developments in forensic science.

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