![]() ![]() ![]() Although the new system isn’t perfect, compared with the nondestructive method currently used in most crime laboratories - magnetic particle inspection (MPI) - MO sensor technology, according to Butell, “ slightly more sensitive, sees a little deeper, is not as messy and requires a little less work.”īutell collaborates with Rudi Luyendijk of the Midwest Forensics Resource Center, part of the Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. The new method uses magneto-optical (MO) sensor technology to nondestructively detect and visualize serial numbers that have been scratched, ground, chiseled or otherwise removed from firearms. Thus far, Butell is pleased by what he sees. Photo taken by Johnson County Criminalistics Laboratory, Kansas. A fragment from a magneto-optical sensor, originally developed for medical purposes, reveals an obliterated serial number on a gun when viewed through a polarized filter. His work is key to an NIJsupported research project to determine whether a new system that combines magnetic fields, polarized light and a special sensor is better than the traditional methods for recovering and reading obliterated serial numbers. In the firearms section of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Criminalistics Laboratory, located southwest of Kansas City, Kansas, firearms expert Jason Butell has spent many hours over the past two years destroying serial numbers on firearms and then trying to recover and read them. UNLIREC director Melanie Regimbal praised the trainees and local authorities for their ongoing commitment to putting the knowledge they gained in the training to use in their investigations already, with positive results.Īt the end of the ceremony, Young, Cross and Griffith were given a demonstration of serial-number restoration by the trainees.Magneto-Optical Sensors Bring Obliterated Serial Numbers Back to LifeĪ sensor technology first developed for medical use is being adapted to detect and visualize destroyed serial numbers in firearms. Griffith also said he was looking forward to TT achieving its goals and objectives associated with the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap Initiative. He said with 172 guns being either found or seized to date for 2021, the illegal trade remains strong but the police is committed to putting a dent in these operations. He said the State had a vested interest in ensuring investigators were properly trained in this area of forensics and it was now up to the officers to do their part and solve the crimes.Īlso addressing the ceremony, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith noted that the training was timely, as the police continue to take guns and ammunition off the streets daily. National Security Minister Stuart Young also lauded the innovative use of the training material, saying that it ensured that local law enforcement was not operating within silos with regard to their knowledge, skills and intelligence. Speaking at the ceremony, British High Commissioner Harriet Cross said she was thrilled to hear that the methodologies which were traditionally used to recover serial numbers from guns were also being adapted to help in the detection of vehicle thefts and the illegal car-parts trade.Ĭross also acknowledged the sacrifices made by the officers to complete the course via virtual delivery. The officers received their course certificates at a ceremony at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain on Monday. In fact, a police press release issued on Monday, warned both thieves and dealers in stolen car parts to "think twice" about their illegal activities, since police have a this new investigative tool which can lead to arrests and prosecution.Īn officer from the Stolen Vehicles Squad was among 12 members of the police and the National Security Training Agency who completed a UNRegional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) serial number restoration course from March 16-19. ![]() LOCAL police have added serial-number restoration to their crime-fighting arsenal, which can play a critical role in solving the larceny of vehicle parts such as chassis and engines. Wednesday 31 March 2021 Police Commissioner Gary Griffith. News Police trained in restoring gun serial numbers ![]()
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