NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FEDERAL LAWYERS
ATF’s Cutting-Edge Investigative Tools and Resources
|Last Updated on: 21st September 2023, 11:03 pm
ATF’s Cutting-Edge Investigative Tools and Resources
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing laws related to firearms, explosives, arson, and alcohol and tobacco trafficking. The ATF has a wide range of cutting-edge tools and resources to assist in investigations and keep communities safe.
Firearms Tracing and Ballistics Analysis
The ATF’s National Tracing Center traces the manufacture and sale history of firearms recovered by law enforcement. This provides critical intelligence to link suspects to criminal activities. The ATF also maintains a national ballistics image database called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to connect crimes by matching ballistic evidence.
Ballistics analysis, like the stuff you see on CSI, involves examining bullets and cartridge cases from crime scenes. The ATF has the latest tools to analyze unique markings left on bullets and casings when fired from a gun. Examiners can use a comparison microscope to match the unique markings on a bullet or casing from one crime scene to another, linking multiple crimes to the same firearm.
The ATF also deploys NIBIN vans equipped with image capture devices to crime scenes. This allows investigators to quickly image ballistic evidence from shootings and other violent crimes to search for links between crimes on a national level. The ATF calls it “NIBIN on Wheels” – how cool is that?
Explosives Analysis and Bomb Data Center
The ATF’s explosives experts examine evidence from bombing and arson scenes to reconstruct the device, identify components, and track down suspects. The ATF lab has specialized tools like mass spectrometers to analyze chemical evidence.
The ATF also runs the U.S. Bomb Data Center which contains extensive data on explosives incidents. Investigators can search the databases to identify trends and develop leads. The Bomb Data Center had info on over 140,000 explosives incidents as of 2020.
Fire Research and Arson Analysis
The ATF has specialized scientists and engineers that investigate arson and conduct fire research. The Fire Research Lab helps reconstruct fire and arson scenes to determine exactly how a fire started and spread. They use fire models and simulations to test different ignition sources and fuel loads.
ATF experts can examine fire patterns, analyze debris, and detect ignitable liquid residues to determine if a fire was intentionally set. Things like pour patterns on floors and walls can indicate if a flammable liquid was used to accelerate a fire, pointing to arson.
Forensic Audits of Firearm and Explosives Licensees
The ATF conducts hundreds of regulatory inspections of federal firearms and explosives licensees each year. They audit inventory records looking for missing guns or explosives that could have been illegally diverted.
ATF agents can track sales and inventory of firearms and components like AR-15 lower receivers. If records show 50 lower receivers came in but only 40 were sold, auditors will demand to know where the other 10 went – were they lost, stolen or illegally sold under the counter?
Industry Operations Investigations
The ATF works to keep guns and explosives from being acquired by dangerous individuals through straw purchases, illegal sales by corrupt dealers, and the black market. ATF agents go undercover to infiltrate trafficking rings and identify corrupt licensees exploiting loopholes.
ATF storefront operations set up fake gun shops to gather evidence against traffickers conducting straw purchases. The ATF has come under scrutiny for allowing guns to fall into criminals’ hands during these controversial stings. But they remain an important tool for building bigger cases against illegal gun and explosives networks.
Firearms Trafficking Analysis
ATF analysts aggregate and analyze vast amounts of trace data to identify patterns and trends in the movement of guns between states and cities. This provides actionable intelligence to disrupt trafficking networks and stop the flow of guns into cities like Chicago plagued by gun violence.
Trace data shows most guns recovered in crimes were originally purchased legally before being diverted into illegal markets. Identifying the source dealers, straw purchasers and trafficking routes helps law enforcement stop guns from getting into the wrong hands.
Gang Intelligence and Link Analysis
The ATF develops intelligence on violent gangs and their involvement in firearms, explosives and narcotics trafficking. Analysts can visualize connections between suspects, map territories, and track trends in violent crimes to focus enforcement efforts.
ATF gang intelligence helps identify suspects in shootings and track down trafficked firearms aiding violent gangs. This enables more strategic deployment of resources to dismantle gang operations and get illegal guns off the street.
National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN)
As discussed earlier, NIBIN is the ATF’s national ballistics image database. It enables investigators to link firearms from multiple crime scenes by matching high-resolution images of cartridge casings recovered from violent crimes.
NIBIN has been called “AFIS for guns” – it’s like the fingerprint database for ballistics. As of 2019, the system contained over 3 million ballistic images and has linked over 100,000 crime scene investigations.
eTrace System for Firearms Tracing
eTrace is the ATF’s online system for firearms tracing. It provides real-time capabilities for law enforcement agencies to submit trace requests and monitor the status of traces. eTrace also aggregates trace data for strategic analysis of trafficking patterns.
Over 5,000 law enforcement agencies have access to eTrace. It provides instant access to trace results rather than waiting days or weeks. eTrace is crucial for identifying straw purchasers and corrupt dealers diverting guns into illegal markets.
National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR)
The ATF operates NCETR to provide specialized training for explosives detection and response. Hundreds of state and local police and bomb squads come each year for advanced training on topics like post-blast investigation, explosives disposal, and counter-IED tactics.
NCETR has specialized facilities like the Large Vehicle Bomb Training Facility to simulate massive VBIEDs (car bombs) encountered in war zones. There’s also a reconfigurable shoot house to practice tactical building entries for hostage rescue.
National Canine Division
The ATF’s National Canine Division deploys over 90 explosives detection canine teams to assist law enforcement agencies. The highly trained dogs and handlers provide critical capabilities for explosives detection and apprehension of armed suspects.
The dogs can sniff out explosives in vehicles, buildings, packages, and cluttered environments. They are a huge asset for security at major events, transportation hubs, and government facilities threatened by terrorism and explosives crimes.
National Response Teams (NRTs)
The ATF deploys specialized National Response Teams to major fire and explosives incidents across the country. The NRTs include forensic chemists, explosives enforcement officers, fire research experts, electrical engineers and other specialists.
These elite teams were deployed to the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11 Pentagon attack, and other high-profile incidents. Their expertise in reconstructing crime scenes and examining evidence is crucial for prosecuting complex arson and explosives cases.
Special Response Teams (SRTs)
The ATF maintains Special Response Teams based regionally across the U.S. for rapid deployment to firearms trafficking cases and violent gang crime. SRTs provide an immediate surge of tactical capabilities and investigative expertise.
SRTs include undercover agents, field intelligence groups, gun trafficking experts, and tactical response capabilities. They have been instrumental in cracking down on violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking plaguing cities like Chicago.
Sources:
- https://www.atf.gov/explosives/tools-services-law-enforcement
- https://www.atf.gov/firearms/tools-services-law-enforcement
- https://www.atf.gov/firearms/tools-services-firearms-industry
- https://www.atf.gov/arson/tools-and-services-arson-enforcement
- https://www.atf.gov/laboratories/laboratory-resources
- https://www.atf.gov/explosives/explosives-enforcement