MIAMI – CBS News Miami visited the Miami-Dade Police Headquarters to investigate how local authorities solve gun-related crimes , following a report from our sister station in Minneapolis about delays with the ATF’s E-trace system.
While the E-trace system has caused case delays elsewhere, Miami-Dade Police use advanced forensic science and a national database to develop investigative leads.
CBS News Miami was given rare access to the department’s forensic lab to see how their process works.
The first room on our tour was the shooting lab, where firearms recovered from crime scenes are tested. The gun we saw was used as part of a simulated mock crime scene event to illustrate the entire process. After the specialist in the shooting lab loaded the gun, he put the firearm in position to fire into a specialized water tank.
“The water slows down the bullets so we can recover it, and use the markings on that bullet and compare to any evidence that’s recovered,” shared Gabriel Hernandez, who helps lead the lab at Miami-Dade Police Headquarters.