Detroit Police Department Passes 100 ‘Hit’ Milestone Using ATF’s Ballistic Technology
Special Agent in Charge Valerie J. Goddard of the Michigan Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced today that Chief Ella M. Bully-Cummings and the Detroit Police Department (DPD) have been recognized for reaching 100 “hits” in their use of ATF’s computerized bullet imaging system.
ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) is a computerized ballistic imaging system that uses Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) technology to allow firearms technicians and examiners to acquire, digitize and compare unique markings made by a firearm on bullets and cartridge casings. ATF currently deploys IBIS technology at 204 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories nationwide. Nine of those sites are in Michigan.
“ATF is very pleased with the success the Detroit Police Department has achieved using the IBIS Technology,” Goddard said. “IBIS has proven to be an effective crime fighting tool in the City of Detroit and to the State of Michigan. This technology is very valuable to police who can quickly identify if different crime scenes are related through ballistic technology. Some of our success stories include the linking of over 30 shootings to 5 guns in the Saginaw area and the solving of a homicide in Detroit.” http://www.atf.gov
