WHAT ARE SOME TYPES OF CRIMINALISTICS?
Firearms and Toolmarks Criminalists provide information to investigators about the caliber and type of firearm used in a crime. Scratches, or striation marks, are left on bullets by the barrel of a pistol or rifle. Once a firearm is recovered, these marks can individualize a bullet to a unique firearm to the exclusion of all other firearms. Similarly, tools used in crimes can leave striation and other marks on surfaces. These marks can be compared to the tool believed to have made them. If the comparison is a positive match, a tool may be individualized as having made the mark to the exclusion of all other tools. A computer database of marks on cartridge cases and bullets has been developed to link a particular firearm to serial crimes. Trace Evidence Trace evidence, frequently overlooked because of its microscopic size, applies microanalysis to fibers, hair, soil, paint, glass, pollen, explosives, gunshot residue, food, plastic bags, and virtually anything involved in a crime. No trai
