April 17, 2025

The Chicago Police Department’s Forensic Firearms Lab was honored this week for its commitment to enhancing public safety through advanced forensic technology. The lab processed more than 20,000 National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) acquisitions in 2024. LeadsOnline, which manufactures and maintains the equipment and programming used to enter crime scene evidence into the NIBIN database, highlighted this achievement by presenting a plaque to members of the Forensic Firearms Lab on April 16, 2025.

The Forensic Firearms Lab not only leads the nation in NIBIN submissions, but it also sets the record for the highest number of submissions by a NIBIN site in a single year. CPD has double the amount of NIBIN submissions compared to any other major city police department in the country.

“This achievement reflects the dedication of the men and women who work in our Forensic Firearms Lab,” said Deputy Chief of Detectives Kevin Bruno. “The volume of ballistic evidence they process is integral as we seek justice for shooting victims.” 

NIBIN, which is maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), is a nationwide automated ballistic imaging network that links shooting incidents and recovered firearms to aid in solving and preventing crimes involving firearms in Chicago and across the country.

NIBIN acquisitions are individual pieces of ballistic evidence collected from crime scenes and entered into the NIBIN database for analysis. When CPD enters ballistic information into NIBIN, it helps generate investigative leads for detectives. This, in turn, helps detectives identify shooting offenders and prevent future violence. Since implementing the NIBIN program in 2014, the Forensic Firearms Lab has generated over 56,000 NIBIN leads.

The Forensic Firearms Lab also holds a “Gold” standard designation from the ATF, which was awarded due to the expeditious entry of ballistic evidence into NIBIN.