Fired Casings--DNA or Fingerprints?

[josher89]

Does anyone know of research that exists that shows what processing technique is better on a fired casing: DNA or latent print processing? I've seen the research on latent print processing (and because of casework) and realize it's pretty rare to get ridge detail on a fired casing but is there something out there that suggests one technique is better than the other? Especially when we're talking about small calibers like .380 Auto or smaller?

[SConner]

Why can't you do both? Process the casings for latent prints and then swab them for DNA afterwards. One of my colleagues completed an in house study and the results suggested that the CA process actually helped preserve the DNA for swabbing after they were processed for latent prints using CA and then MRM10. Essentially what she did was get two detectives, had them fire a variety of calibers of ammunition, collected them, and then waited several different intervals before processing them and swabbing them. Overall, IIRC, the results suggested that the more casings you can swab together as a group, the sooner you can process and swab them, and whether or not the person is a good shedder of DNA (one detective consistently yielded better DNA than the other) determined whether or not even a partial profile could be garnered from the swabs.

[Ken Chappell]

On the Fingerprint side of this question, MedTech Forensics has this,

http://www.store.medtechforensics.com/i ... ts_id=2263