Citation

Stein D, Yu JC. J. Forensic Sci. 2013; 58(5): 1330-1335.

Affiliation

Crime Laboratory, Houston Police Department, 1200 Travis Street, Houston, TX, 77002.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12256

PMID

23919431

Abstract

An imaging technique that is capable of reducing glare, reflection, and shadows can greatly assist the process of toolmarks comparison. In this work, a camera with near-infrared (near-IR) photographic capabilities was fitted with an IR filter, mounted to a stereomicroscope, and used to capture images of toolmarks on fired bullets and cartridge cases. Fluorescent, white light-emitting diode (LED), and halogen light sources were compared for use with the camera. Test-fired bullets and cartridge cases from different makes and models of firearms were photographed under either near-IR or visible light. With visual comparisons, near-IR images and visible light images were comparable. The use of near-IR photography did not reveal more details and could not effectively eliminate reflections and glare associated with visible light photography. Near-IR photography showed little advantages in manual examination of fired evidence when it was compared with visible light (regular) photography.

Language: en