NIJ FY 09 Research and Development on Impression Evidence

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a component of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. NIJ solicits applications to inform its search for the knowledge and tools to guide policy and practice. With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for research and development to enhance crime laboratories’ ability to identify, characterize, capture, visualize, and preserve impression evidence. This solicitation focuses on: • Tools and technologies that will allow faster, more widely applicable, more rugged, less costly, or less labor-intensive identification, collection, preservation, and analysis of impression evidence at the crime scene or crime laboratory. • Tools that provide a quantitative measure or statistical evaluation of forensic comparisons. • The effect of time and environmental factors on impression evidence. • The unique forensic characteristics found in impression evidence. Note: Impression evidence primarily includes (but is not limited to) firearm and tool marks, footwear impressions, tire impressions, bite marks, and friction ridges. In addition, NIJ seeks proposals for an innovative and cost-effective approach to capturing and comparing ballistic images, for potential use to improve the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN).