National Integrated Ballistic Information Network

The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network or NIBIN is a specialized computer network in the United States. It contains digital images of recovered pieces of ballistic evidence.

A promotional image from NIBIN published in 2021.

Running on the Integrated Ballistic Identification System or IBIS platform, NIBIN enables U.S. law enforcers to rapidly determine if a piece of recovered ballistic evidence came from a firearm that has been previously used in a crime.

There are certain criteria that must be met prior to entering information into the NIBIN database. For instance, cartridge cases from a .22 caliber firearm or a revolver are normally not entered.[1]

Using NIBIN, law enforcement staff can identify firearms in new cases that were used in prior incidents. A series of seventeen different Washington state crime scenes involving seven firearms, and three different agencies in two counties, was identified using information provided by IBIS/NIBIN.[2]

Organizational purpose

In 1999, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) established and began administration of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.[3] In this program, ATF administers automated ballistic imaging technology for law enforcement, forensic science, and attorney agencies in the United States that have entered into a formal agreement with ATF to enter ballistic information into NIBIN. Partners use Integrated Ballistic Identification Systems to acquire digital images of the markings made on spent ammunition recovered from a crime scene or a crime gun test fire and then compare those images against earlier entries via electronic image comparison. If a high-confidence candidate for a match emerges, firearms examiners compare the original evidence with a microscope to confirm the match.

See also

References
  1. "NIBIN Program - Automated Firearms Evidence Imaging" (PDF). Physical Evidence Bulletin. California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  2. "Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS)/National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) Program" (PDF). Forensic Laboratory Services Bureau of the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory. March 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  3. "ATF Fact Sheet - National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN)". Archived from the original on 2010-06-24. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.