Please check back frequently for additional workshops, tours
and armorers courses.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Subclass Workshop -
FULL
Instructor: Nancy McCombs
All Day - Sunday
8AM-5PM
This one day workshop will explore the historical
development and evolution of “Subclass Characteristics” and will look
critically at the use and definition of the term. A wide variety of firearm
and tool manufacturing processes will be evaluated for subclass potential.
Methods of recognizing potential subclass characteristics on tooled surfaces
will be examined. Lab practices, interpretation, and legal challenges will
be discussed. Emphasis will be on recognizing or eliminating the potential
of subclass involvement, strategies to ensure identifications are not
subclass in nature, and discuss reporting methods if subclass influence is
suspected.
Cost: $70
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
3D Laser Scanning for Bullet Path Reconstruction -
FULL
Instructors:
Tony Grissim/Chris
Coleman
All Day - Sunday
8AM-5PM
The practical use of 3D laser scanning for bullet path
reconstruction will be demonstrated through a combination of an outdoor
live-fire shooting exercise where students will witness shooter positions
and impacts followed by near real-time laser scanning of ballistic
trajectory rods (1/2 day in field). The afternoon classroom portion will
focus on data processing and analysis of laser scan data with emphasis on
accuracy, NIST traceability and actual case studies.
The class with depart the Hyatt at 7:30am to go to an off-site range for the
first half of the workshop. After stopping for lunch, the bus will return to
the hotel for an afternoon classroom session. Cost includes transportation
and lunch.
Cost: $70
(Transportation & Lunch is Provided)
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
Courtroom Testimony
- FULL
Instructors:
Evan
Thompson/Allison Hedgecock
All Day - Sunday
8AM-5PM
Giving you the
skills needed to articulate and be a better presenter in court for what you
already do best.
Workshop Objectives:
1. Clear Overall Organization
2. Excellent Physical Skills
3. Audience Understanding, Connection, and Positive
Response
4. Professional Use of Visuals
5. Handling Questions Effectively
6. Poise and Confidence
7. Success in
Achieving Intended ResultsCost: $70
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
ASCLD/LAB Level 100 Measurement Confidence Course (Combined A, B & C)
Instructors: Laurel Farrell
All Day - Sunday 8AM-5PM
Fundamental to all measurements made in forensic testing
are the concepts of measurement traceability, measurement assurance, and
uncertainty of measurement. For each topic a basic foundation will be
presented, the interrelationships between the topics will be explored and
the applicable accreditation requirements will be reviewed. Participants
will be introduced to the ISO Guide to the Uncertainty of Measurement (GUM),
the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM), and other pertinent
reference documents. This combined course is a pre-requisite for the ASCLD/LAB
Level 200 Measurement Confidence Course.
Maximum of 30 participants. Cost: $70
Scientific Working Group for Firearms and Toolmarks (SWGGUN) – Admissibility
Training Workshop
Instructors: SWGGUN
All Day - Sunday 8AM-5PM
As part of a continuing effort to provide resources to the
firearm and toolmark examiner community, SWGGUN has developed a workshop to
assist the attendee in better preparing for questions pertaining to
admissibility and admissibility hearings. Questions regarding the
admissibility of the firearms and toolmarks discipline, and requests for
evidence admissibility hearings, are fairly common practice in today’s legal
system. The intent of this workshop is to provide firearm and toolmark
examiners the tools necessary to successfully defend themselves when
addressing admissibility requirements.
This workshop covers a variety of topics as it relates to evidence
admissibility hearings. The topics covered include:
- Overview of SWGGUN and the Admissibility Resource
Kit (ARK)
- Daubert and Frye admissibility standards
- Review of recent admissibility hearings and
judges motions to include/exclude testimony
- Systemic issues in firearms and toolmark
examination
- Review of current critiques of firearms and
toolmark examination
- General question and answer session
Maximum of 40 participants. Cost: $25
The
IBIS Confirmation Station
Instructor: Paul Murphy and Serge Levesque
½ Day -
Sunday Morning 10AM-12PM
In order to expedite the comparison microscopic
confirmation of ballistic hits, Forensic Technology has developed the IBIS
Confirmation Station as a tool to help forensic firearm examiners streamline
their work. This versatile tool incorporates Projectina’s Universal
Comparison Microscope and IBIS Matchpoint+, thus enabling forensic firearm
examiners to view IBIS hit images in conjunction with comparison microscope
images on the same screen. Microscopic regions of interest (ROI) images on
evidence and test fired components can be viewed simultaneously. In turn,
examiners not only benefit from a faster workflow, but from expedited
confirmations of IBIS hit images. Join us at this no-cost workshop to get a
sneak-peek at this technology.
Maximum of 20 participants. Cost: FREE
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Ammunition
Instructor: George Kass
½ Day - Tuesday Afternoon
1PM-5PM
The course will cover development of the cartridge,
headstamps, reference material, bullets, color codes, reference collections,
etc.
Maximum of 35+ participants. Cost: $35
Barrel-Making
- FULL
Instructor: Allan Offringa
½ Day - Tuesday Afternoon
1PM-5PM
This workshop will cover the processes used to make
barrels from start to finish.
Cost: $35
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
Image-Based Report Generation Using the
Leica Application Suite (LAS)
Instructor: Wayne A. Buttermore
½ Day - Tuesday Afternoon
1PM-5PM
This is an interactive, hands-on workshop requiring a
laptop computer with the ability to load software meeting the minimum
specifications listed below. The work shop will cover the utilization of the
LAS integrated report module to generate image-based reports through
Microsoft Office Word Templates. The course will cover template modification
to include meta data from the image, such as calibrated values for
measurement, camera and image documentation.
Computer
Requirements
Maximum of 12 participants. Cost: $35
Hi-Point Firearms
Familiarization/Armorer’s Course
Instructor: Tom Deeb
½ Day - Tuesday Afternoon
1PM-5PM
This course will discuss the Hi-Point product line as well
as the assembly / disassembly, serial number system, and the manufacturing
processes utilized by the company. There will be a hands-on portion of the
course using actual Hi-Point firearms.
Cost: $35
Double Casting Firearm Evidence Workshop
Instructor: Paul Murphy
½
Day - Tuesday Afternoon 1PM-3PM
Demonstration of techniques on how to make microscopic
quality resin replicas of fired bullets and cartridge cases. The purpose of
double casting is to make replicas in order to exchange ballistic
information across country/state/international borders without sending the
original evidence/test fires. The technique is also used in Europe (ENFSI)
to generate proficiency tests. The workshop will consist of a 30 minute
PowerPoint presentation and a 90 minute practical demonstration (2 hours in
total).
Maximum of 25 participants. Cost: FREE
Microscopy Database Workshop
Instructors: Eric Collins & Dr. David Howiit
½
Day - Tuesday Afternoon 1PM-3PM & Friday 10AM-12PM
As part of an ongoing confocal microscopy database project
funded through a NIJ grant at the University of California, Davis, this
workshop is designed to give examiners a sense of the practical advantages
of using a database to catalogue bullet identification casework. Since
confocal microscopes are unavailable to most examiners, this workshop will
describe how a series of photographs, taken on any comparison microscope,
can be used in a similar manner as a confocal microscopy scan of a land
impression. In this "hands-on" workshop, attendees will be shown how to use
the software to process optical micrographs and how to build their own image
databases for use at their laboratories. Computer software will be provided
to all attendees. Participants in the workshop will need to bring their own
laptops.
There will be two workshops. the first (Tuesday afternoon, 1-3PM) will
introduce attendees to the use of the software and the second (Friday
morning, 10am-12pm) will provide both a follow-up for anyone who has
questions after working with the software and an introduction to the use of
the software for attendees who were not able to attend the Tuesday workshop.
Please be advised that spots can be reserved for the Tuesday workshop
only. The Friday workshop will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Maximum of 25 participants. Cost: FREE
Friday, June 28, 2013
Ammunition Identification and CartWinPro
Instructor: Axel Manthei
½ Day - Friday Morning 8AM-12PM
A common task for the firearm examiner is to identify the
origin of a cartridge by the headstamp. A headstamp can be more than just
the usual letters and numbers. It can contain abbreviations in foreign
languages and Arabic numbers as well as symbols. But beyond this the
arrangement of the information on the head stamp might be of importance.
Special or meaningful codes may also be hidden on the headstamp amongst the
more obvious information.
There are many caliber designations, and the difference in measurements can
differ only by fractions of an inch. The determination of the correct
caliber is, in many cases, easy by reading the headstamp. However, in
some cases, even with readable information on the case head, it can be a
difficult task. Demonstration will show how CartWinPro is applied in these
cases.
Color codes will be discussed as an important means to describe the nature
of the cartridge, and they may also be of importance in determining if the
cartridge should not be fired in a particular type of range. Coding is
usually standardized within a country or an organization, but may have a
completely different meaning if it is from another source. Color codes are
not only encountered on the bullet itself, but also in other locations such
as the primer annulus, head stamp, or case mouth. Combinations of these
codes may also be used to designate the type of cartridge.
With only a bullet from the crime scene, identifying the caliber and
cartridge can be a difficult task. Measurement, documentation, and entry of
a few parameters in CartWinPro can narrow down the possibilities to a small
number, and might also point out some not so obvious ones.
In this workshop we will try to sharpen the eye for hidden details of
cartridges, and how one can identify them using CartWinPro.
Maximum of 35+ participants. Cost: $35
The Science
Behind Firearm Individualization
- FULL
Instructor: Srini Rathinam
½ Day - Friday Morning 8AM-12PM
In the recent case: US vs. Dore & Barrett, the judge made
the following comments in his rulings (Dated March 11, 2013):
The judge ruled that the government:
1. did not adequately establish ballistics ID as
a science,
2. failed to show that the underlying theory was empirically
proven,
3. did not establish a reliable basis for an identification, and
4. that the government's witness was precluded from stating any
level of certainty to the examination conclusions.
This workshop will address all of these points, with
emphasis being placed on #2 and #3. The participants will learn how to
articulate and defend the science behind the individualization process,
using both theory and data with special emphasis on striated tool marks.
SWGGUN's Admissibility Training workshop would be a preferred but not
mandatory prerequisite.
Cost: $35
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
Ruger LCP Armorer Course
- FULL
Instructor: Bob Wood
All Day - Friday 8:30AM-3:30PM
The Ruger LCP Armorer course will cover complete
disassembly, reassembly and function of the LCP pistol. Students will be
provided a comprehensive list of Ruger serial number ranges, rates of twist,
firearms markings, trigger pull rates, etc. to assist them in their forensic
work. Discussions will be open to the manufacturer and function of all
product lines as well.
Note: Only US Citizens are eligible for this workshop.
Cost: $70 (Armorer
Certificate Included)
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
Wound Ballistics for Firearm Examiners
- FULL
Instructor: Luke Haag
All Day - Friday
8AM-3PM
This 6-hr. workshop covers the use and calibration of
tissue simulants, the wound ballistic behavior of a variety of projectiles,
threshold velocities for skin perforation, penetration depth as an
expression of impact velocity, injuries from ricocheted and destabilized
bullets, and caliber and bullet type determination in living gunshot
victims.
Cost: $70
Waitlist
Please include the name of the person you want put on the waitlist as well
as the contact information of the person who will be authorizing payment for
this person.
Elysium Arms Tour
Tour the manufacturing facilities of Elysium Arms, located in
Raton, NM. While on-site, participants will be divided into two groups,
with each group seeing the production of (2) consecutively manufactured
Ruger 10/22 barrels from beginning bar stock through the testing phase.
Final output will be (4) consecutively manufactured barrels that the APD
FA/TM Unit will use for a research project. Attendees of this workshop will
be encouraged to participate in the comparison phase of the project. Cost
includes charter bus transportation to Raton and back, a tour of Elysium
Arms, as well as lunch and an afternoon snack.
Itinerary
8:00am Depart Hyatt Regency-Albuquerque
9:45am Rest stop in Las Vegas, NM
10:15am Depart Las Vegas, NM (Sack lunch provided on bus)
12:00pm Arrive and tour Elysium Arms
4:00pm Depart Elysium Arms (Snack provided on bus)
5:45pm Rest stop in Las Vegas, NM
6:15pm Depart Las Vegas, NM
8:00pm Arrive at Hyatt Regency-Albuquerque
Maximum of 30 participants. Cost: $125
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