Forensic Publications
The below documents are management system documents utilized by ATF Forensic Laboratories. They are provided for informational purposes only. Sensitive or copyrighted information has been redacted. The documents are used in ATF Laboratories and not published with the intent of setting a policy or analysis standard for other laboratories. The inclusion of equipment/software manufacturer names does not imply endorsement by ATF Laboratories.
The documents were current as of February 28, 2018. ATF management system documents are reviewed annually and revised as needed. For specific requests, submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
 ATF-LS-FRL LI014 Optical Density Meter (387.04 KB) |
This instruction covers the use, design and specifications of optical density meters (ODMs) for smoke measurement in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory (FRL).
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL LI017 Laboratory Conditions (361.98 KB) |
This Instruction covers the use of laboratory condition stations used in FRL experiments.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL LI018 Combustion Calorimeter (939.69 KB) |
This instruction covers the use of the Combustion Calorimeter that is used to measure the heat content and specific gravity of natural gas that is used in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory (FRL) experiments.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL Project Approach (230.52 KB) |
The FRL coordinates with special agent/certified fire investigators to apply engineering principles to crime scene and physical evidence evaluation for the purpose of assisting the client with understanding specific limited aspects of the fire event, such as ignition, material properties, visibility, etc.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL Sand Burner and Gas Cart -Standard Operating Procedures (463.89 KB) |
Standard operating procedures for a sand burner and gas cart.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL TR009b Differential Pressure - Average Velocity Probes (2.06 MB) |
This technical reference covers the use, design and specifications of the averaging velocity probes used in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL TR010B Tube Burner (4.97 MB) |
This technical reference covers the use, design and specifications of the tube burner used in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL TR019B Sartorius Scale - 450 kg - Technical Reference (186.91 KB) |
This technical reference covers the use, design and specifications of the Sartorius-Scale-450 kg scale used in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL TR019I Sartorius Scale - 30 kg - Technical Reference (324.76 KB) |
This technical reference covers the use, design and specifications of the Sartorius-Scale-30 kg scale used in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL TR019J Sartorius Scale -150 kg - Technical Reference (325.01 KB) |
This technical reference covers the use, design and specifications of the Sartorius-Scale-150 kg scale used in the ATF Fire Research Laboratory.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-FRL Tube Burner - Standard Operating Procedures (466.77 KB) |
Standard operating procedures for a tube burner.
| Fire Research Engineer Testing |
|
ATF-LS-TE01 - Setup and Use of Fluorescence Microscopy (102.69 KB) |
This method describes the procedure for setup and use of the reflected light fluorescence attachment on the PLM microscopes.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE02 Setup and Use of the Microscope (108.94 KB) |
This method describes the procedure for basic microscopy setup on compound polarized light microscopes (PLM) but certain sections can also be used for brightfield (biological) microscopes.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE03 Use of the Microspectrophotometer (112.45 KB) |
This method describes the procedure for use of the Microspectrophotometer. Microspectrophotometers are used to measure color characteristics in the transmission, reflectance, or fluorescence of microscopic samples in the UV, visible, and NIR.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE04 Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (124.66 KB) |
Pyrolysis is a technique used to break chemical bonds of molecules by the use of thermal energy only.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE07 Raman Spectrometer (133.32 KB) |
Raman spectroscopy is a technique that has been validated for rapid identification of unknown chemicals.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE09 Examination, Analysis and Comparison of Hair Evidence (170.93 KB) |
Different crimes involve the recovery of trace evidence from articles of clothing, vehicles, crime scenes, or other items, which may contain hairs.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE10 Examination of Physical Matches (105.33 KB) |
Compare portions of pipes, tools, tapes, glass, fabrics, papers, and other items of evidence to determine whether those portions were once a part of or have been separated from, a particular source.
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE11 Examination, Analysis and Comparison of Textile Fibers (154.92 KB) |
The forensic fiber examiner is requested to compare questioned and known (Q and K) fiber samples based on their physical and chemical compositions
| Other Trace |
|
ATF-LS-TE13 Examination, Analysis, and Comparison of Pressure Sensitive Tapes (PST) and Adhesives (128.27 KB) |
Chemical analyses are performed on PST and adhesives, to aid in the identification of the source and/or for comparison between PST and adhesives.
| Other Trace |