Binghamton Police Investigator Ryan Wood examines one of the casings from a recent shooting. With the help of a microscope, he’s able to identify specific markings that could lead back to the gun from which it was fired.
“They’re going to put that shell casing into here, they’re going to put it right into the NIBIN machine, it’s going to close up, and then it’s going to take thousands of pictures, which then are run through a secure line that goes all the way back to Alabama,” said Binghamton Police Capt. of Intelligence David Bidwell.
The new technology is used by 11 agencies throughout the state. It takes microscopic pictures of each casing, and within a couple of hours, links it back to the type of gun it was fired by.
Since May of 2023, the Southern Tier location logged 171 different entries in the machine. Forty-six of those came back linked to other guns from other shootings.
"Out of those 46, 13 have gone to multiple agencies, even heading down to New Jersey, Pennsylvania. So, we're able to link shootings throughout Broome County and other states," said Bidwell.
The tool is also helping in the fight against what are known as "ghost guns.” The illegal, handmade firearms can be assembled through online kits or even 3D printed. In most cases, that makes them untraceable.
"Ghost guns are an uphill battle for law enforcement across the country. They're uncivilized. They usually have parts and pieces to that firearm that are made on the private side, and they're easily obtained online," Wood said.
Most “ghost guns” are assembled from the parts of other firearms. That means even if the gun is untraceable, this machine can give law enforcement a better idea of the barrel or type of gun it came from.
"Each gun leaves a signature mark out of the shell casings. So, whether it's from the extractor, whether it's from the firing pin, it's going to leave certain marks on the shell casing that only that firearm does," said Wood.
In January, a three-month investigation led to five felony arrests in Central New York related to the trafficking of ghost guns. This included everything from semi to fully-automatic weapons.
“I think it's a trend that has definitely increased over time. They are very common within the communities and smaller communities. They're just easily obtained. And literally you can you can make these guns at home and they are on the increase for sure," said Wood.
The hope among law enforcement is that new technology can better track and prevent shootings in the future, regardless of the gun it comes from.
In 2019, New York passed a law requiring serial numbers on all gun parts. The Supreme Court is currently discussing this regulation at the federal level.