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Council hearing outlines $56,007.50 grant components to support ballistic‑imaging and DNA testing
Summary
Council members discussed a Project Safe Neighborhood grant item that includes $56,007.50 for training and DNA testing tied to NIBIN/IBIS ClearView ballistic‑imaging equipment; staff said the IBIS ClearView preserves DNA evidence while enabling ballistic matching.
During the work session, an agency official explained elements of a Project Safe Neighborhood grant and how the city intends to use technology to link ballistic evidence without sacrificing DNA or fingerprint testing.
The official described NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) as a system that links shell casings by tool marks and said a limitation of standard testing is that processing casings can contaminate or eliminate opportunities for DNA or fingerprint analysis. The speaker outlined a solution: IBIS ClearView, a system and a sampling cylinder that allows officers to collect high‑definition 3‑D images of spent casings at the scene and submit those images to NIBIN without contaminating other forensic evidence.
The official said $56,007.50 in the grant is allocated to two items: training officers to collect casings using the new technique and paying for DNA testing. The speaker said DNA testing is sent to a private lab and costs about $4,000 per test.
Council members asked procedural questions but did not record substantive opposition during the work session discussion. Supporters in the meeting framed the investment as improving the ability to link crime scenes and, in some cases, connect casings from nonfatal incidents to homicide investigations. No formal vote specifically tied to procurement of the IBIS ClearView system was recorded in the work session transcript; the grant expenditure was described as part of the budget/grant items brought before council.
