Thunder Bay police have introduced a new ballistics lab that is expected to significantly reduce the processing times for firearms-related evidence. Unveiled on Wednesday, the lab is housed in a container at Thunder Bay police headquarters on Balmoral Street.
According to Thunder Bay police forensic identification sergeant Ryan Doucette, the lab will enable the comparison of cases and projectiles recovered from shooting scenes or seized firearms. Equipped with a water tank for firing weapons and retrieving bullets and casings, the lab will expedite the analysis process. The recovered items can be sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto for comparison with evidence from other shooting scenes.
Previously, sending firearms to the center for test firing would result in weeks or months of waiting for results. However, with the new setup in Thunder Bay, Doucette highlighted that results can now be obtained within days through local test firings.
The construction of the lab was carried out by Thunder Bay-based company Stongbox and was funded through Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing grant. Deputy police chief Jeremy Pearson emphasized the lab’s significance in enhancing firearms investigations by reducing processing delays and allowing for a more efficient investigative process.
Pearson noted a rise in firearms-related incidents in the city over recent years, leading to an increased need for processing exhibits that may be linked to crime scenes across the province. The improved capabilities of the new lab are expected to streamline investigations and support law enforcement efforts in Thunder Bay.
