Analysis of spent cartridge cases and bullets has been a staple of forensic criminal investigation for almost a century. Since the mid-1980s, computerized databases of images from pieces of ballistic evidence have been developed to help search for potential matches and investigative leads. Ballistic Imaging assesses the current state of ballistic imaging technology and reviews its current use by law enforcement. The report considers the feasibility, accuracy, and technical capability of a national reference ballistic image database including images from test firings of newly manufactured and imported firearms; the intent of such a reference database would be to generate investigative leads from evidence recovered at crime scenes to the place where the source firearm was sold. Ballistic Imaging examines specific improvements to the current technology, including changes from two-dimensional photography of evidence to three-dimensional surface measurement. The report also explores issues
