This Just Science podcast episode provides the audio and transcript of a discussion on a new methodology for processing fired cartridge casings.
This second episode of Just Science Podcast’s season on Case Studies features crime scene technician Brian Turner, and detective Roberto Caceres, from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to discuss a new methodology for processing fired cartridge cases. The discussion notes that when a cartridge case is recovered from a crime scene, investigators must typically decide whether to swab it for DNA or process it for latent prints. The episode focuses on the promising new technique, developed by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, that involves processing a cartridge case for both DNA and fingerprints, leading to more evidence available in shooting cases. In the episode, Turner and Detective Caceres describe what factors affect recovery of evidence on cartridge cases, how the M-VAC and the Recover LFT system are utilized in tandem to process for DNA and fingerprints, and case examples highlighting the success of this new method.