KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department received a federal grant of 700 thousand dollars that will help improve its crime gun intelligence center. KPD is one of three cities that received the full amount of the grant.
Through new and updated technology, KPD said this money will help in the fight against gun violence. Inside the Knoxville Police Department’s forensics center, there are dozens of firearms.
“The reference collection allows us to be able to take our firearms and make our suspect gun, fireable,” said Lt. Brian Dalton, with KPD.
The department also has a water tank to test firearms as well as microscopes and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network system.
“Using NIBIN is a way of connecting incidents that otherwise the investigation may not connect,” said Lt. Dalton.
When a bullet is fired from a gun, the firearm leaves a distinct imprint on the shell casing.
“The machining in a firearm is very much like a fingerprint, so it is very individual in its characteristics.”
Meaning, that no two guns will leave the same impression on a shell casing.
Investigators will then upload digital photos taken by a machine into the NIBIN system. From there, the network will send back a list of potential matches already in the system.
“Potential leads can be generated from that, to connect a firearm or recovered cartridge case to another shooting.”
Since it’s a national network, shell casings from crimes can even be matched in other states.
“If I know I need to look at somewhere else in the country, I can generate a request through the NIBIN system to compare a firearm that we’ve recovered or cartridge case we’ve recovered, to items that have been entered in, say, Detroit.”
Forensic examiners will then compare the NIBIN results with the shell casing in evidence, allowing police to potentially connect the dots to other crimes.
The money from the grant will also pay the salaries of several firearm examiners over the next three years and pay for travel and training to visit other crime gun intelligence centers.