AFTE Store - Ethics in Forensic Firearms Investigation

Forensic firearms investigators and specialists from other forensic disciplines occasionally face ethical dilemmas during the course of their work. Due to the importance of forensic evidence in many judicial proceedings, the ethical standards of forensic practitioners must be extremely high and beyond reproach. Various ethical quandaries from the author’s own experience and from other cases are discussed within the broader context of forensic science as a whole. Note: This paper was delivered on Monday 24 May at the 2004 AFTE Training Seminar in Vancouver, Canada. The author has been a member of the AFTE Ethics Committee since 2001 and Chairman of this Committee for 2003/2004.