NIBIN

Since 1995, the Firearm Section Criminalists of the Crime Laboratory have utilized computer databases to assist in the comparison of expended ammunition components. In June, 2002 the MSHP Crime Laboratory received the Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) to replace the older computer database known as Drugfire. IBIS is part of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). This Network will eventually connect all of the IBIS's in the country.

When projectiles and/or cartridge cases are recovered from a crime and submitted to the lab, firearm examiners can use the characteristics observed on the expended ammunition components for microscopic comparisons. These microscopic comparisons enable the examiner to determine whether or not the submitted expended components "match" the expended components obtained from the suspect firearm during the test firing in an effort to confirm an identification.

IBIS contains images of expended ammunition components recovered at crime scenes as well as those acquired from the test firing of submitted firearms.The system allows new entries to be searched against the existing database entries for possible matches, with the purpose of possibly linking ballistic evidence from one crime to another.