Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Technical note: presence of gunshot residue in and around a police station

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
International Journal of Legal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Previous studies on the transference of gunshot residue (GSR) have shown that GSR can be transferred to surfaces through everyday activities and can persist on surfaces. Being that all police departments operate differently and have different spaces, GSR can be transferred and accumulates in different areas. Samples were collected from persons and surfaces in and around the Scranton Police Department and tested by scanning electron microscopy to identify GSR. Surfaces included police car seats, gun holsters, clothing around holsters, and belts around holsters. The results of the study showed that of the 25 samples collected, 40% contained at least one particle that was “characteristic of primer GSR”, 64% contained at least one particle that was “consistent with primer GSR”, and 92% contained at least one particle considered “commonly associated with primer GSR”. This research characterizes where GSR is transferred within and around the police department. This data can be used to implement cleaning procedures or methods for decontamination. This study continues to strengthen the body of knowledge surrounding transferring of GSR.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  1. Gialamas DM, Rhodes EF, Sugarman LA (1995) Officers, their weapons and their hands: an empirical study of GSR on the hands of non-shooting police officers. JFS. 40:1086–1089. https://doi.org/10.1520/JFS13882J

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Charles S, Geusens N (2012) A study of the potential risk of gunshot residue transfer from special units of the police to arrested suspects. Forensic Sci Int 216:78–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.08.022

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. French J, Morgan R, Davy J (2014) The secondary transfer of gunshot residue: an experimental investigation carried out with SEM-EDX analysis. X-Ray Spectrom 43:56–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/xrs.2498

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ali L, Brown K, Castellano H, Wetzel SJ (2016) A study of the presence of gunshot residue in Pittsburgh police stations using SEM/EDS and LC-MS/MS. J Forensic Sci 61:928–938. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.13077

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Berk RE, Rochowicz SA, Wong M, Kopina MA (2007) Gunshot residue in Chicago police vehicles and facilities: an empirical study. J Forensic Sci 52:838–841. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2007.00457.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Garofano L, Capra M, Ferrari F, Bizzaro GP, Di Tullio D, Dell’Olio M, Ghitti A (1999) Gunshot residue: further studies on particles of environmental and occupational origin. Forensic Sci Int 103:1–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(99)00035-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work would not be possible without participation by the police officers at the Scranton Police Department. Thank you for your time and sample contributions. Thank you to St. Gobain Ceramic Materials, Olyphant, PA, USA, for providing our team with access to the scanning electron microscope. Thank you to the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences at Keystone College for providing funds toward this project.

Funding

Funding for the research was provided by the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences at Keystone College.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological & Physical Sciences, Keystone College, La Plume, PA, USA

    Destiny H. Anders, Sabrina A. Miller & Jillian Conte

  2. Scranton Police Department, Scranton, PA, USA

    Carl R. Graziano & Joseph Castellano

Authors
  1. Destiny H. Anders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sabrina A. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carl R. Graziano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Joseph Castellano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jillian Conte
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jillian Conte.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The Institutional Review Board of Keystone College approved the work presented herein that involved collecting samples from humans.

Informed consent

The samples were those collected from the clothing of police officers. Consent forms were signed and maintained by the Biological and Physical Sciences Department of Keystone College.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Highlights

• Samples for gunshot residue detection were collected in and around the Scranton Police Department.

• Analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, 40% of samples contained particles that were “characteristic with primer GSR” or contain lead, barium, and antimony.

• The 3 most element particles were found in police vehicles and items that come into direct contact with firearms.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Anders, D.H., Miller, S.A., Graziano, C. et al. Technical note: presence of gunshot residue in and around a police station. Int J Legal Med 134, 2195–2198 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02357-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02357-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation