New Technology Revolutionizes Ballistics Testing and Forensic Firearms ID;
Promises to Advance Public Safety and Homeland Security 

ROME, GA March 2, 2004 -- Groundbreaking new technology that will help fight crime and promote national security is now in production. For the first time ever, crime labs and ballistics researchers can consistently capture perfectly intact bullets and slugs of any type, fired from any firearm, including hollow points and even high-explosive large-caliber military rounds. The Duke Projectile Recovery System holds enormous promise for advances in public safety, homeland security and the war on terrorism because its results are so vastly superior to those previously achievable.

Developed by Ballistics Research, Inc., of Rome, Ga., the patented DPRS represents a huge leap forward for law enforcement. It allows a crime lab to test-fire a suspected firearm using the same ammunition used in a crime, with immediate recovery of the bullet or slug fully preserved in the same condition in which it left the barrel, even including the powder residue. Its ability to preserve the parts of a detonated pipe bomb for forensic study will make the DPRS an indispensable tool in the investigation of bombing cases.

The system’s capacity for handling rounds of all sizes with such pristine results also is of great significance to national defense agencies and the military. A Defense Department facility that develops and tests weapons is among the first purchasers of the DPRS. That DOD facility reports it is now able to perform tests never before thought possible. In addition to performing non-destructive testing of weapons under development, the system affords the unprecedented advantage of conducting non-destructive evaluation of captured enemy ordnance.

The system uses two specialized types of material sandwiched in a series of alternating layers inside a caster-mounted metal box. A special blend of long-grained natural and synthetic fibers “cocoons” around the projectile to protect it, while a specialized friction material layer absorbs residual velocity and kinetic energy. Projectiles come to rest within the series of layers, where they are easily recovered by hand within seconds.

The capabilities of the DPRS are extraordinary. Every other projectile recovery method in use, such as the water tank and the cotton box, has one thing in common — the recovery device itself causes damage to the projectile, often shattering it or causing severe deformation or abrasion. A perfect, intact bullet recovered with the DPRS for comparison to a crime scene bullet is far quicker and easier to match accurately than one recovered by any other method and it has greater evidence value as well.

The Duke system also is less expensive and far more versatile than the commonly used water tank. The units are highly portable and they are available to successfully capture all kinds of projectiles intact, including those from handguns and rifles of all calibers, shotguns of all sizes, and even military rounds up to 120mm, such as those fired from a battle tank. Custom configurations are also possible for more specialized needs.

Projectiles recovered with the DPRS appear as unfired, except for the “ballistic fingerprint” of the firearm’s barrel (rifling marks) and the tell-tale gunpowder residue. There is no need for “down-loading” special cartridges or shells, since the system is capable of capturing perfectly intact projectiles regardless of their velocity. Ballistics researchers, military weapons experts and forensic scientists can now do their jobs with far greater accuracy and speed than ever before.

Ballistics Research, Inc., of Rome, Ga., is a privately held company founded in 1999, dedicated to the development and research of law enforcement tools to enable the accurate and complete identification of fired handgun bullets, rifle bullets, and artillery shells. Through careful scientific research and investment, along with superior craftsmanship, the company has quickly become a leader in the field, with the introduction of the best method of ballistic identification currently in existence.

Video footage is available for television broadcast. Contact Tom Thompson at 404-378-8716

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tom Thompson
Red Oak River Creative Communications
(404) 378-8716
pageone@tds.net
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