The Canadian Integrated Ballistics Information Network (CIBIN)

1. The Canadian Integrated Ballistics Information Network (CIBIN)

2. Forensic Sciences and Identification Services (FS&IS) Forensic Science and Identification Services is an integral part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s National Police Services, with a mandate to provide quality investigative support services for front line policing. FS&IS provides a wide range of forensic programs and services to clients in Canada and internationally through forensic science services, crime scene forensic identification, fingerprint identification and criminal record repositories and the National DNA Data Bank.

3. Forensic Sciences and Identification Services (FS&IS)

4. Forensic Sciences and Identification Services (FS&IS) Firearms and Toolmark Identification Program The Firearms and Toolmark Identification Program is part of the RCMP's National Police Services (NPS), providing two major areas of expertise; firearms and toolmark analysis. This program also manages the Canadian Integrated Ballistics Identification Network (CIBIN). Firearms and Toolmark Identification sections are located in Halifax, Regina and Vancouver laboratories.

5. The power of networking CIBIN is the Canadian network of Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) instruments, which captures and analyses digital images of the unique markings left by firearms on bullets and cartridges cases It is a partnership between the RCMP, Ontario’s Center of Forensic Sciences and Quebec’s “Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale” CIBIN also exchanges information with the United States of America’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN)

6. Our IBIS hub in Ottawa, ON

7. Our network of IBIS instruments Halifax, Nova Scotia (2007) Montreal, Quebec (2003/04) Ottawa, Ontario (2002) Toronto, Ontario (2003/04) Regina, Saskatchewan (2007) Vancouver, British Columbia (2007)

8. Our network of IBIS instruments CANADA Total area: 9,984,670 sq km Population: 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.) 90% of which is concentrated within 160 kms from the US border Source: The world fact book

9. About IBIS IBIS technology is a powerful screening tool that efficiently analyses digital images of the unique markings left by firearms on bullets and cartridges cases IBIS instantly sorts through the inventory of thousands of exhibits and then ranks them in order of the highest likelihood of a match, for confirmation by a firearms expert. Traditionally, this would have represented thousands of man/hours of work.

10. About IBIS

11. Working together CIBIN will link firearm crimes from across Canada (and the U.S. as required) and those committed over time. CIBIN will link crime scenes where the same firearm has been discharged even if the firearm has not been recovered. CIBIN will also link seized or found firearms to the crimes where they were used (Suspicious Firearms Index)

12. Three categories of items entered on CIBIN • Fired bullets and cartridge cases recovered from crime scenes (“drive-by” shooting, no firearm recovered) • Test fired bullets and cartridge cases from firearms related to a criminal investigation and examined at the forensic laboratory • 3. Suspicious Firearms Index

13. Suspicious Firearms Index The CIBIN Section in Ottawa, is the hub of the database and is responsible for the Suspicious Firearms Index, which specializes in firearms of interest not known to be associated with a criminal charge but that may generate intelligence for investigators

14. Value of the Suspicious Firearm Index Police may come into possession of firearms suspected of being associated with criminal activity but which are not the subject of an active investigation. These typically include found firearms and seized firearms where no charges are pending. Such firearms are not likely to be sent to the forensic laboratory and thus would not automatically be test fired and entered into the CIBIN database.

15. Value of the Suspicious Firearm Index Entering those suspicious firearms in CIBIN to compare against unsolved cases complements other investigative techniques such as tracing in that: • a positive correlation may relate otherwise unsolved incidents (intelligence that may lead to solving a crime) • a negative result will allow closure of files, allowing an administrative disposition of the firearm

16. Acceptance Criteria We are currently processing suspicious firearms that meet the following criteria: • Occurrence (recovered, found, seized, etc) within the last 2 years and, • Restricted, prohibited or criminally altered, or • Non-restricted but with a known or suspected criminal association

17. Statistics to date (August 2009) • Bullets in CIBIN: 12,218 • Cartridge cases: 25,126 • Number of confirmed hits: 1,295 • Percentage of hits (bullets): 0.60% • Percentage of hits (CC’s): 4.85%

18. Success story

19. Challenges and opportunities Ever greening of equipment; the latest version of IBIS instruments (TRAX3D) offers superior performances Increase in the number of suspicious firearms identified as a result of the Public Agents Regulations and with the assistance of the Canadian Firearms Program Pursuit of the establishment of a live connection between NIBIN and CIBIN

20. Questions / Inquiries Yves Quevillon Firearms and Toolmark Identification Program Forensic Science and Identification Services 1200 Vanier Parkway, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R2 Tel.: 613-993-4145 Cell.: 613-808-4922 Fax: 613-952-0156 Email: yves.quevillon@rcmp-grc.gc.ca