Journal Published Online: 01 November 1995
Volume 40, Issue 6

Officers, Their Weapons and Their Hands: An Empirical Study of GSR on the Hands of Non-Shooting Police Officers

CODEN: JFSCAS

Abstract

To help determine the potential of secondary gunshot residue (GSR) transfer from officers onto subjects to be tested for GSR, the presence of GSR on non-shooting patrol officers' hands were evaluated. Forty-three officers were sampled with adhesive-lift discs, which were subsequently concentrated and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) microanalysis. GSR levels on the officers' hands were lower than expected considering that a firearm was carried and handled by all officers. Only three of the 43 officers had unique GSR particles. No officer had more than one unique GSR particle. Twenty-five of the 43 officers had no particles of GSR on their hands. Although the potential for secondary transfer contamination from an arresting officer to a subject exists, the low empirical numbers of GSR particles found on these non-shooting officers suggest that the potential for this occurrence is relatively low.

Author Information

Gialamas, DM
California Laboratory of Forensic Science, Yorba Linda, CA
Rhodes, EF
Sugarman, LA
Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department, Forensic Science Services, Santa Ana, CA
Pages: 4
Price: $25.00
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Stock #: JFS13882J
ISSN: 0022-1198
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13882J