The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, van allows Greeley police access to a nationwide database that help police identify information about firearms used in crimes. The one parked in a garage in the basement of the Greeley Police Department is one of just two mobile units in the country.
"We've already had several leads come out of it," Turk said. "When those come about, we assign those to a detective right away so they can pick up the phone and start communicating."
Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Denver Field Division demonstrated how the van works Tuesday at the Greeley Police Department.
The NIBIN database helps to identify firearms similar to DNA analysis for identifying people. Mechanisms in every firearm — including the firing pin and the ejector — leave a specific imprint on a cartridge case when fired, allowing police to link firearms used in multiple crimes across jurisdictions.
NIBIN has come a long way since its inception in 1997, when only a handful of national technicians could operate the equipment. And though there are just two mobile units, there are more than 100 stationary NIBIN sites across the country.
"The machines talk to each other basically," Special Agent in Charge of the ATF's Denver Field Division Brent Beavers said. "So the same firearm could travel throughout the state, and without this technology, we wouldn't know there's a link to two different cities. It's so cool to have this network of NIBIN technology because it really is a lead generator."
At the heart of NIBIN is the IBIS BRASSTRAX — a system that captures those unique markings and uploads them to the NIBIN database. A technician places a casing into the BRASSTRAX machine, which creates a 3D image, allowing technicians to compare markings from casings found at multiple crime scenes.
Greeley police have had stationary access to the technology at the Northern Colorado Regional Crime Lab. But they're sharing the BRASSTRAX machine with several other area agencies, sometimes leading to longer wait times.
"It is way more convenient for our technicians to go downstairs an hour after collecting casings to get that information in and start generating tips," Turk said.
And when it comes to solving crimes involving firearms, time is of the utmost importance. According to a study by Rutgers University, 50% of guns used in two shootings will be used in a third shooting within 90 days.
A similar study by the University of Missouri-St. Louis showed that 50% of guns used in one shooting will be used in another within 47 days. Half of those will be used in a third shooting within 42 days, and 25% will be used in a third shooting within just five days.
"We need the timely submission of these casings so we can generate these investigative leads and start communicating and sharing with our partners," Turk said. "Because this isn't just focused on Greeley."
There are a handful of firearms that NIBIN cannot evaluate — such as revolvers, which don't eject casings, and larger-gauge shotguns, whose casings are simply too large for the BRASSTRAX machine — but the NIBIN system can identify most firearms used in violent crimes.
"The top firearms that we all recover are identifiable through NIBIN," Beavers said.
Turk said the most commonly recovered casings from crime scenes in Greeley are from semi-automatic handguns. Beavers said that bears out regionally as well.
And with Greeley's real-time crime information center nearing completion — employees are hired, software is picked out and the building is under renovation, Turk said — NIBIN will be just another piece of that puzzle. Even if the mobile unit has moved to another department by that time.
"This center — talking about NIBIN, cameras, drones, license plate readers — really as a way to leverage all the robust technology we have and get it out in real time," Turk said. "And this is just another example of a tool that can be incorporated into that."
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