Fbi Lab Scraps Gunfire Residue

Written by American City & County Administrator

Since March 15, the FBI has not been using analyses of gunshot residue (GSR) for investigations, according to Special Agent Ann Todd with the FBI Laboratory. She said GSR analyses had been discontinued not because of a lack of reliability in the science but because the agency wanted to shift its resources to other areas such as counter-terrorism.

The FBI in recent years had been getting fewer than 10 requests annually to process the residue. But a 2005 study of the FBI’s crime lab in Quantico, Va., found that particles of residue from various sources were found in different parts of the lab, suggesting that the environment was not sufficiently sterile for reliable results.

The American Society for Testing and Materials is also reconsidering its GSR policy, which was last updated in 1995, said Timothy S. Brooke, director of the society’s technical committee operations.

A.J. Schwoeble, director of forensic science at RJ Lee Group, which works with police agencies and crime labs, said issues about contamination can be resolved by ensuring samples are kept in sealed containers, gloves are worn at crime scenes, and labs are frequently tested.

Meanwhile, some defense lawyers like Matt Hennessy have announced they intend to use the FBI’s decision to bolster current criminal cases and throw out previous convictions.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Baltimore Sun (05/26/06); Bykowicz, Julie .