Police Departments Fail to Regularly Trace Crime Guns
We set out to determine how domestic killers in South Carolina got their guns. Instead, we found evidence of a widespread breakdown of critical crime-fighting intel.
Law Enforcement
Spurred by The Trace’s Reporting, Atlanta Stiffens Punishment for Cops Who Leave Their Guns Unattended
After being contacted by The Trace’s reporters, the Atlanta Police Department clamped down…
Law Enforcement’s Lost and Stolen Gun Problem
An investigation by The Trace shows that police departments’ uneven storage rules have put deadly weapons into the hands of criminals.
New Federal Grants Seek to Boost Prosecutions of Gun Ballistics Cases
A national database of shell casings has been deployed unevenly. So the DOJ is encouraging lawyers who want to use it to link and crack cases.
A Powerful Database Helps Solve Gun Crimes. Only Two States Require Police to Use It.
New Jersey and Delaware have laws mandating that investigators use an innovative ballistics system called NIBIN. The other 48 states don’t — and their reticence makes it harder to ID shooters everywhere.
Watch How Crime Labs Use a Tool Called NIBIN to Crack Gun Cases
If you’re curious about potential solutions for the nation’s gun violence crisis, watch this crime-fighting tool in action.
A Scrappy California Crime Lab Is Cracking More Gun Cases — Thanks to Technology Bigger Agencies Misuse
Propelled by a new, no-nonsense boss, Contra Costa County ditched the excuses that keep many law enforcement agencies from taking better advantage of a crime-fighting database called NIBIN.
Five U.S. Law Enforcement Officers Were Shot and Killed in the Line of Duty Last Week
Ten officers have been fatally shot so far this year. Last year, 42 were shot and killed in the line of duty, according to Officer Down Memorial Page.
Arkansas Bust Is Latest Example of Right-Wing Extremists Arrested for Violating Gun Laws
Police in Arkansas say nine of the 44 people arrested in a drug…
In New York City, Gun Cases Fuel Growing, Unregulated DNA Database
The city is ramping up its efforts to collect genetic material. But the absence of oversight alarms forensic and legal experts.
The False Promises of the Trump Justice Department’s Strategy for Fighting Gun Violence
Funneling more gun criminals to federal prison won't lead to fewer gun homicides. To understand why, just look at St. Louis.
Gun Cases Are Notoriously Hard to Make Stick. New York Thinks It Has the Answer.
The city has launched an ambitious program to collect DNA from every gun recovered by police. But questions remain about effectiveness, and cost.