[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      LAW ENFORCEMENT NEEDS A NATIONAL BALLISTICS IMAGING NETWORK

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, last Sunday the news program ``60 
Minutes'' reported on an exciting new technology called ballistic 
fingerprinting, which is currently underutilized by our Nation's law 
enforcement organizations. Each time a gun is fired, it inscribes a 
unique pattern on each bullet. This marking is referred to as a 
ballistic fingerprint. The ``60 Minutes'' report presented the case of 
a New York City double homicide in which the New York Police Department 
developed little evidence to work with besides the bullet shells and 
casings from the crime scene. After exhausting all other efforts to 
solve the case, detectives took those shells and casings to the NYPD 
ballistics lab to be scanned into the Integrated Ballistic 
Identification System, a database of ballistic fingerprints maintained 
by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 
The ballistics lab was able to connect the gun used in the double 
homicide to the one used three months later in an armed robbery. An 
arrest was made and the man was convicted of both crimes. Without 
ballistics fingerprinting this case might have never been solved.
  Through its National Integrated Ballistic Information Network or 
NIBIN Program, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives 
deploys Integrated Ballistic Identification System equipment to State 
and local law enforcement agencies, such as the one in New York City, 
for their use in imaging and comparing crime gun evidence. This state-
of-the-art equipment allows firearms technicians to acquire digital 
images of the markings made by a firearm on bullets and shells, like 
was done in the New York case. Unfortunately, at this point, only 
weapons that are confiscated in crimes are included in this database. 
Expanding this database to include newly manufactured and imported guns 
would enhance law enforcement's ability to investigate and reduce gun-
related crime.
  I believe that the ATF's ballistic fingerprinting network should be 
expanded, and that is why I have cosponsored the Technological Resource 
for Assisting Criminal Enforcement Act or TRACE Act. Under this bill, 
manufacturers and importers would be required to test fire firearms and 
capture ballistics images of the fired bullets and casings of new 
firearms. Expanding NIBIN to include these ballistics images would 
increase the crime gun tracing capabilities of the ATF and local law 
enforcement. Law enforcement could identify firearms by using the 
ballistics images of cartridge cases and bullets recovered at crime 
scenes even when criminals had removed the serial number. In fact, this 
technology would allow investigators to identify the firearm used in 
the crime without actually recovering that firearm. The legislation 
also contains strict provisions stating that the ballistics information 
regarding individual guns may not be used for prosecutorial purposes 
unless law enforcement officials have a reasonable belief that a crime 
has been committed and that ballistics information would assist in the 
investigation of that crime.
  I believe this is sensible legislation that will strengthen law 
enforcement's ability to effectively track down criminals. This 
technology has worked for both the NYPD and in the investigation of the 
Washington area sniper attacks. I urge my colleagues to support it.

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