Quick fire: Police say lab testing changes are paying off
Up until a few years ago, a gun used in a shooting that came into police labs in New Jersey would go through months of testing before information to determine whether it was used in multiple shootings was shared with investigators.
A change in procedures has cut that down to a mere 48 hours. New Jersey state police officials say that has dramatically improved their ability to investigate gun violence.
Major Geoffrey Noble is the commanding officer of the state police forensics lab in Hamilton. He says they’re trying to give detectives as much information they can as quickly as they can to get shooters off the street.
He says that out of 5,000 guns that came through their lab since 2016, more than 800 have been connected through the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network database.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.