Course Catalog

This 2-hour session trains forensic experts, firearm examiners, and investigators in using a hybrid documentary research methodology applied directly to forensic investigations. The course serves as a practical aid for verifying a firearm's authenticity, provenance, country of origin, and classification as a military or civilian weapon. Participants will learn how to symbiotically combine traditional archival cataloging methods—specifically, proof marks, fabricator marks, and historical literature—with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced internet search methods. Attendees will learn to utilize AI to streamline patent discovery, track manufacturing marks, and analyze case data, while immediately applying traditional written sources as a critical analog filter to validate findings and eliminate hallucinations. The objective is to provide a dual-protocol approach that accelerates forensic investigations and the preparation of technical expert reports, ensuring methodological rigor and technical integrity.

Hery Figueroa

Esta sesión de dos horas capacita a peritos forenses, examinadores de armas de fuego e investigadores en el uso de una metodología híbrida de investigación documental aplicada directamente a las investigaciones forenses. El curso sirve como guía práctica para verificar la autenticidad de un arma de fuego, su procedencia, su país de origen y su clasificación como militar o civil. Los participantes aprenderán a combinar de forma simbiótica los métodos tradicionales de catalogación de archivo —basándose específicamente en marcas de banco de pruebas, marcas de fabricante y literatura histórica— con el uso de la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) y de métodos avanzados de búsqueda en internet. Los asistentes aprenderán a utilizar la IA para agilizar la localización de patentes, rastrear marcas de manufactura y analizar datos del caso, aplicando de inmediato las fuentes escritas tradicionales como un filtro analógico crítico para validar los hallazgos y eliminar alucinaciones. El objetivo es proporcionar un protocolo técnico dual que acelere la ejecución de las investigaciones forenses y la preparación de dictámenes periciales técnicos, garantizando un rigor metodológico absoluto e integridad técnica.

Hery Figueroa

This one-day (8 hour) course will provide participants with an in-depth exploration of various firearms machining methods and subclass characteristics. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the techniques used to manufacture firearm components, such as milling, turning, and broaching, and how these methods relate to subclass and individual characteristics. Through detailed discussions and 3D animation, the workshop aims to boost participants' confidence in both understanding and effectively explaining the intricacies of machining, learn how to evaluate for subclass characteristics in everyday casework, discuss areas of confusion/myths of what subclass characteristics are and are not, and much more.

Omar Felix

Este curso proporciona una formación especializada en la identificación, análisis y recuperación de registros identificativos en una amplia variedad de superficies. Su enfoque integra fundamentos teóricos y aplicaciones prácticas, orientados al desarrollo de competencias técnicas en contextos forenses y de investigación. El contenido se estructura en torno a los siguientes ejes temáticos: - Fundamentos de identificación: Estudio de los principios técnicos relacionados con la localización y reconocimiento de números de serie y otros registros identificativos, incluyendo las áreas más comunes de marcaje en distintas armas de fuego. - Análisis de alteraciones: Examen detallado de las diferentes modalidades de manipulación, obliteración o eliminación de números de serie o marcas de identificación, así como de los mecanismos físicos y químicos empleados en dichos procesos. - Técnicas de recuperación: Aplicación de métodos científicos, físicos y fisicoquímicos para la restauración de números de serie alterados, con énfasis en procedimientos validados y buenas prácticas de laboratorio. - Marco legal: Revisión de la normativa vigente y de los marcos regulatorios nacionales e internacionales que rigen el estampado, la preservación y la integridad de los registros identificativos. En conjunto, el curso busca fortalecer la capacidad analítica y técnica de los participantes, promoviendo un abordaje riguroso, ético y fundamentado en la evidencia científica.

William Ruiz

This three-day (24 hour) workshop explores the historical development and evolution of  “Subclass Characteristics” and critically examines the use and definition of the term. A wide variety of firearm and tool manufacturing processes commonly encountered in the industry will be evaluated for subclass potential. Methods of recognizing potential subclass characteristics on tooled surfaces will be examined. Lab practices, interpretation, and legal challenges will be discussed. Emphasis will be on recognizing or eliminating the potential of subclass involvement, developing strategies to ensure identifications are not subclass in nature, and exploring documentation and report writing methods when subclass influence is suspected. This class combines lecture with heavy emphasis on laboratory/microscopic time, focusing on the examination of toolmarks made from numerous consecutively manufactured tools.

Nancy McCombs

This 5-Day class introduces the participants to forensic toolmark examination, which is also the basis for firearm identification and comparison.  The basis of toolmark comparison is the determination of whether or not a particular tool was used to make a questioned mark. Students will gain specific knowledge related to examining toolmarks, producing exemplar marks, and comparing them to questioned marks. “Hands-on” training, which will include the examination of tools, toolmarks, the preparation of test marks, and the comparison of marks using a comparison microscope will be provided.

Nancy McCombs

During this course, students will examine marks produced by various firearms on cartridges, cartridge cases, shotshells and fired shotshells. Striated and impressed marks from both cycling and firing a firearm will be examined and their probative value will be discussed. Although the class focuses on the marks routinely encountered in casework (breechface marks, firing pin impressions, chamber marks, ejection port marks, extractor marks, ejector marks and magazine marks), many less common marks will also be examined and compared. The firearms used to produce many of the exemplars will be available for students to examine. The evaluation of class, individual, and potential subclass characteristics will be addressed, and options for the wording of casework reports will be discussed.

Nancy McCombs

This 5-Day class focuses on toolmarks transferred onto bullets by the barrels of firearms. Students will become familiar with examining the general rifling characteristics (GRC) of bullets in no gun cases in order to determine true caliber, nominal caliber and caliber designation. During the class, a GRC database will frequently be accessed in order to generate lists of possible firearms. Students will examine and compare bullets of various design in an attempt to find corresponding individual agreement. In addition, shotshell components will be examined to determine caliber and shot size. Bullets fired from consecutively manufactured barrels and several barrel casts will be available for evaluation of potential subclass characteristic carryover. Various options for the wording of casework reports will be discussed.

Nancy McCombs

Este curso está diseñado para analistas y profesionales de las ciencias forenses que presentan e interpretan evidencia en el ámbito judicial. Su objetivo es fortalecer las habilidades necesarias para ofrecer un testimonio pericial claro, preciso y defendible ante los retos del proceso. Los participantes explorarán el rol del perito, las expectativas del sistema judicial y las mejores prácticas para comunicar hallazgos técnicos de forma comprensible para jueces y jurados. Se abordarán estrategias para estructurar el testimonio, responder a interrogatorios y manejar la presión en sala. Además, se enfatiza la objetividad, la ética y la credibilidad del analista, garantizando que la evidencia se presente conforme a estándares legales y científicos. Al finalizar, los participantes estarán mejor preparados para traducir el trabajo de laboratorio en información clara, confiable y útil para la toma de decisiones judiciales.

Rhina Colvin

Forensic testimony presents unique challenges. In today’s judicial system, laboratory professionals are expected to communicate objective findings clearly, without ambiguity, bias, or overstatement. This course is designed to equip participants with practical communication skills that enhance courtroom testimony and extend into broader professional settings. Participants will develop structured strategies to translate technical laboratory procedures and results into language that is accessible to diverse audiences, particularly those without a scientific background. Emphasis is placed on delivering information in a way that not only informs, but effectively connects with individuals who process information differently. Through guided instruction and scenario-based exercises, participants will refine their verbal delivery, strengthen professional presence, and develop the ability to adapt under pressure while communicating with clarity and confidence.

Deion Christophe

This 2-hour course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of reloading ammunition. Students will learn the components of a cartridge, including the case, primer, powder, and projectile(s), and how each part contributes to overall function and performance. The course covers the steps of the reloading process, common equipment, and safety considerations. By the end, students will have a foundational understanding of how ammunition is assembled and how variations in components can affect performance and forensic evidence.

Samantha Houle

This 2-hour course explores the history of gunpowder, from its early discovery to the development of modern ammunition. Students will examine the evolution of weapons—from early siege engines and hand cannons to matchlocks, flintlocks, and modern cartridge systems—while building an understanding of the science behind black powder and its production. By following these design changes over time, students will gain a deeper understanding of why firearms and ammunition function the way they do today—and how these developments continue to influence modern firearms.

Samantha Houle