- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
Identification
Home > Cartridge and Shotshell Examination > Identification of Impressed Toolmarks > AFTE Range of Conclusions > Identification
The AFTE Glossary defines an identification as follows:
“Agreement of a combination of individual characteristics and all discernable class characteristics where the extent of agreement exceeds that which can occur in the comparison of toolmarks made by different tools and is consistent with the agreement demonstrated by toolmarks known to have been produced by the same tool.”
This statement reflects the concepts of sufficient agreement and best known nonmatch. All identifications are based on pattern matching. It is possible to go beyond this qualitative match to the quantifiable consecutive matching striae (CMS) approach to further support an identification.
