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Canadian Integrated Ballistics Identification Network (CIBIN)
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CIBIN is a partnership between RCMP Forensic Science and Identification Services, Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences and the Quebec Laboratoire de sciences judiciares et de médecine légale
CIBIN allows all police in Canada to have their evidence compared against any evidence from across the country, and against evidence entered into the U.S. National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). It does not matter if the crimes occurred years apart or thousands of kilometers apart.
IBIS instruments are located in the forensic laboratories in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Regina and Vancouver. Samples entered into any one instrument are automatically correlated with the samples from all six sites.
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What is CIBIN?
The Canadian Integrated Ballistics Identification Network (CIBIN), part of the RCMP’s National Police Services (NPS), is a national network of Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) instruments that collect, analyse and correlate fired bullets and cartridge cases in a central database to generate investigative leads for police. Forensic ballistics analysts work with bullets, cartridges cases and firearms recovered from crime scenes, and other firearms of interest to police to create forensic intelligence and provide operational support.
Electronic representations of bullets and cartridge cases from anywhere in Canada are entered into the CIBIN database. The IBIS operator conducts a preliminary assessment of an exhibit and identifies potential matches. Forensic ballistics analysts conduct further analyses on these potential matches to confirm whether a hit has been made.
IBIS instruments are located in the forensic laboratories in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Regina and Vancouver. Samples entered into any one instrument are automatically correlated with the samples from all six sites.
What CIBIN Will Do for Investigations
CIBIN will link firearms crimes from anywhere across Canada and those committed over time. CIBIN will link crime scenes where the same firearm has been discharged even if the firearm has not been recovered. Also, CIBIN will link seized or found firearms to the crimes where they were used. Investigators will be automatically notified if evidence they submitted to CIBIN is connected with another crime.
CIBIN allows all police in Canada to have their evidence compared against any evidence from across the country, and against evidence entered into the U.S. National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). It does not matter if the crimes occurred years apart or thousands of kilometers apart.
Crime Scene Bullets and Cartridge Cases
The power of CIBIN lies in the number of exhibits entered into its database. Many police agencies have crime scene cartridges and bullets in their property rooms that have never benefitted from IBIS analysis. Investigators are encouraged to contact their forensic laboratory to arrange for submission of unanalyzed bullet and cartridge case exhibits. This is particularly important if the intent is to submit suspect firearms in connection with “cold case” operations as crime scene exhibits contemporary to your cold case files must be present in order to correlate against your submissions.
Suspicious Firearms Index
Police may come into possession of firearms suspected of being associated with criminal activity but which are not the subject of an active investigation. These typically include found firearms and seized firearms where no charges are pending. Such firearms are not likely to be sent to the forensic laboratory and thus will not automatically be test fired and entered into the CIBIN database. However, investigators can send suspicious firearms to the lab specifically for IBIS testing as part of the Suspicious Firearm Index (SFI) program. The test-fired bullets and cartridge cases from such firearms are entered into CIBIN for comparison against other bullets and cartridge cases in the database.
Current plans are to deal with those firearms with occurrences less than two years old which currently do not support any criminal charges; and which are restricted or prohibited firearms, criminally altered firearms, or non-restricted firearms with a known or suspected criminal association. Police can contact the CIBIN unit in Ottawa at IBIS@rcmp-grc.gc.ca to discuss submitting suspicious firearms.
If firearms are slated for disposal following an unsolved case check in CIBIN, arrangements can be made to dispose of the firearms by a police service request (concurrent with IBIS testing).
CIBIN is a partnership between RCMP Forensic Science and Identification Services, Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences and the Quebec Laboratoire de sciences judiciares et de médecine légale.
