Analysis Of Gunshot Sounds May Help Solve Crimes

Sounds from Gunshots May Help Solve Crimes

By measuring sound waves of 20 gun types, researcher hopes to improve forensics

Meghan Rosen | June 29, 2016

The surveillance video shows a peaceful city streetscape: People walking, cars driving, birds chirping.
“Then, abruptly, there’s the sound of gunfire,” said electrical engineer Robert Maher. “A big bang followed by another bang.”
Witnesses saw two shooters facing off, a few meters apart — one aiming north, the other south. But no one knew who shot first. That’s where Maher comes in. His specialty is gunshot acoustics, and he’s helping shore up the science behind a relatively new forensics field.
In the case of the two shooters, surveillance cameras missed the action, but the sounds told a story that was loud and clear.

"Sounds from gunshots may help solve crimes. By measuring sound waves of 20 gun types, researcher hopes to improve forensics." Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sounds-gunshots-may-help-solve-crimes

<more at https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sounds-gunshots-may-help-solve-crimes; related articles and links: http://hotair.com/archives/2016/03/08/should-suppressors-a-k-a-silencers-be-more-widely-available-for-gun-owners/ (Should suppressors (a.k.a “silencers”) be more widely available for gun owners? March 8, 2016) and http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/139/4/10.1121/1.4949969 (Gunshot recordings from a criminal incident: Who shot first? Robert C. Maher. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 139, 2024 (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4949969 [Abstract: Audio forensic examination for law enforcement and criminal justice investigations increasingly involves audiovisual recordings from dashboard camera systems, bystander smart phones, body cameras worn by police officers, and even by cameras built into TASER™ devices. If the camera is pointing in an appropriate direction the details of the incident may be found in the recorded video. However, if the camera’s field of view is limited, it may still be possible to evaluate the circumstances of interest by examining the sounds captured by the recording device’s microphone. This paper presents audio examples in which the forensic examiner must attempt to address questions such as: How many gunshots took place? What types of firearms were involved? Who shot first? Audio examples are presented to demonstrate the solutions—and mysteries—found in several real world cases.]); further: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gun-research-faces-roadblocks-and-dearth-data (Gun research faces roadblocks and a dearth of data. Setting evidence-based policy isn’t easy when research is underfunded and data are locked up, May 3, 2016)>