Officers, Their Weapons and Their Hands: An Empirical Study of GSR on the Hands of Non-Shooting Police Officers

D.M. Gialamas · LA Sugarman

42 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Forensic Sciences

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Forensic Fingerprint Detection Methods Deception detection and forensic psychology Gun Ownership and Violence Research

Abstract

Abstract To help determine the potential of secondary gunshot residue (GSR) transfer from officers onto subjects to be tested for GSR, the presence of GSR on non-shooting patrol officers' hands were evaluated. Forty-three officers were sampled with adhesive-lift discs, which were subsequently concentrated and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) microanalysis. GSR levels on the officers' hands were lower than expected considering that a firearm was carried and handled by all officers. Only three of the 43 officers had unique GSR particles. No officer had more than one unique GSR particle. Twenty-five of the 43 officers had no particles of GSR on their hands. Although the potential for secondary transfer contamination from an arresting officer to a subject exists, the low empirical numbers of GSR particles found on these non-shooting officers suggest that the potential for this occurrence is relatively low.

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References

1979Particle Analysis for the Detection of Gunshot Residue. I: Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Characterization of Hand Deposits from Firing 1977Detection of Gunshot Residues on Hands by Scanning Electron Microscopy 1984Discharge Residues from Cartridge-operated Industrial Tools 1979Particle Analysis for the Detection of Gunshot Residue. II: Occupational and Environmental Particles 1977Detection of Gunshot Residue Particles from the Hands of a Shooter

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