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SWGGUN Systemic Requirements/Recommendations for the Forensic Firearm and Toolmark Laboratory

...The Scientific Working Groups have been tasked by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the report entitled Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward with directing the forensic science communities in the establishment of standardized procedures and protocols. The following document is in response to this request... 
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SWGGUN Guidelines Admissibility Resource Kit Appendix I-Visual Aids

April 2009 SWGGUN Meeting Summary

The SWGGUN met in Seattle, Washington, for their semi-annual meeting from April 6-9, 2009. All twenty members of the Board were present for the meeting. Topics and issues covered during this meeting are listed below.

The Board reviewed the following proposed guidelines and then voted that these guidelines be adopted and placed on the website for final posting:

• ISO 17025 Transition

• Technical Assessment and Review

• Verification of Conclusions

The Admissibility Resource Kit (ARK) Maintenance Committee presented the following reports and updates to the Board:

• One new court ruling was added to the ARK since the last meeting.

• Additional court rulings will be posted upon receipt.

The SWGGUN Chairman reported the following contacts and actions since the last meeting:

• The SWGGUN Chair gave a presentation and participated in a discussion on scientific issues related to the Firearms and Toolmark forensic discipline at the December meeting of the New York Commission on Forensic Science.

• The SWGGUN is continuing its international outreach efforts as it is scheduled to send two representatives to the next meeting of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI).

• The SWGGUN continues to receive numerous inquiries regarding the ARK resources; especially, from Federal, state and county prosecutors.

The Publications Committee reported that the glossaries from the SWGGUN ARK and QA section have been submitted to the AFTE for inclusion into the AFTE Glossary.

The Archive Committee submitted an internal SOP on the most advantageous method for preserving SWGGUN documents and correspondence. This SOP was adopted by the Board.

The Science Committee reported on work from their special working session that occurred in February at the ATF National Laboratory Center. This work included the following:

• A report in response to the February, 2009, NAS Report regarding systemic issues in the Firearms and Toolmark discipline of forensic science was presented to the Board. This report contained many recommendations that addressed the concerns raised by this NAS Report. After much discussion and revisions, this Committee report was accepted by the Board and will be submitted to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Newsletter for publication, as well as posting on the SWGGUN website.

• A report draft in response to this recent NAS Report regarding the scientific foundational issues in the Firearms and Toolmark discipline was presented to the Board for review. After much discussion, it was decided that portions of this draft needed further editing.

The following personnel matters were approved by the Board during this meeting:

• Ms. Katherine Richert was nominated as the new SWGGUN ASCLD representative replacing Todd Reynolds.

• Mr. Erich Smith was appointed to the Board as one of the FBI representatives replacing Mr. Stephen Bunch who formally resigned this past winter.

The Gunshot Residue and Firearms Function Committees continue their research and composition of their guideline drafts.

The Admissibility Training Committee presented its proposed admissibility hearing training program to the Board. The Board approved portions of this program with the remaining portions pending further review. It was decided that part of this program could be used to present SWGGUN’s response to the recent NAS Report at the upcoming AFTE meeting this coming May.

In other Board action, the By-Law Committee was reactivated to review changes in our by-laws and ensure that they correspond to the posted SWGGUN Objectives.

During this meeting, SWGGUN members were afforded training tours of the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory located in Seattle; as well as Olympic Arms Incorporated in Olympia, Washington and Rainer Ballistics located in Tacoma, Washington.

These committees are working to develop a product that can be posted on the SWGGUN website for review and comments from the forensic community. SWGGUN continues to operate its own website at www.swggun.org and solicits valuable input from the discipline through a number of different mechanisms during the development stages of the guidelines which we produce. These guideline/documents are then posted on the website for your review and we encourage peer review of these materials. Feel free to contact a Board member with your comments/concerns or visit us at the “Feedback Forum” tab above.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you. Board member information can be found under the “Members” tab. We look forward to hearing from you and encourage your continued participation in these ongoing projects that ultimately affect our work product.

Gregory S. Klees- Chair, SWGGUN