IBIS (Integrated Ballistic Identification System) the technology powering the world's most advanced ballistic identification networks, generating ballistic leads that help law enforcement advance gun crime investigations.
Time is the enemy of every gun crime investigation. Evidence sits unconnected. Cases go cold. Suspects stay on the street. IBIS changes that, automatically surfacing the ballistic associations that move investigations forward.
When bullets or cartridge cases are found at a crime scene, they carry a unique signature. IBIS is built to recognize it, match it, and turn it into an investigative lead across millions of exhibits, across thousands of agencies, automatically.
Using specialized 3D microscopy, IBIS captures the unique marks a firearm leaves on every bullet and cartridge case it fires. It then searches for similar marks across the network, automatically identifying ballistic associations between firearm-related crimes. The result is actionable intelligence delivered at a scale and speed no manual process can match.
More than 7,000 agencies across 80+ countries have deployed IBIS solutions, powering dedicated national networks around the world, including ATF's NIBIN in the United States. These networks connect firearm-related crimes and deliver the actionable intelligence investigators need to advance cases faster.
*3D model is a simulated representation shown for informational purposes only and may not reflect exact unit specifications.
Gun crime doesn't stop at jurisdictional lines. Neither does IBIS.
Evidence submitted at one agency searches against every exhibit in their IBIS network, across town, across state lines, or across borders. Investigators receive leads without delays while the case is still active.
An IBIS solution can start with a single location and expand seamlessly to multiple sites, all contributing to the same integrated network. Every site added strengthens the intelligence available to all.
IBIS algorithms are tailored to the complexities of firearm forensics, comparing new evidence against millions of exhibits and surfacing the most likely matches first. Strong correlation performance is maintained even as networks grow.
IBIS captures high-resolution 3D images of the unique marks a firearm leaves on every bullet and cartridge case. Powerful 3D viewing tools make it easy to review correlation results and significantly increase identification success rates.
LeadsOnline pioneered automated ballistic identification over 25 years ago and has never stopped advancing it. Our research team works to continuously evolve IBIS, from acquisition quality to correlation performance.
Every IBIS deployment comes with the full envelope of services needed to run a successful program: installation, training, e-learning, and 24/7 multilingual support from five offices across four continents.
How the IBIS network turns evidence into crime gun intelligence.
Three shootings. Two jurisdictions. No reason to connect them. Until cartridge cases from all three scenes are submitted to IBIS. The network flags a match: the same firearm. Neither agency could have found that connection alone. Without IBIS, the link goes undetected and a repeat offender stays on the street.
A shooting occurs in a city with millions of exhibits in its IBIS network. Manually reviewing every possible match is not an option. IBIS correlations run automatically within minutes, surfacing the most likely candidates from across the entire database. Powerful 3D viewing tools allow examiners to rapidly work through ranked results, identifying the hit that breaks the case wide open.
A firearm used in one shooting is recovered, test-fired, and entered into the network. IBIS surfaces matches to three other incidents across two neighboring jurisdictions, incidents that appeared unrelated until that moment. A pattern emerges that neither agency could have found alone. The more agencies contribute, the faster those patterns surface, and the faster prolific offenders are identified.
IBIS works like a search engine for gun crime evidence. Using specialized 3D microscopy, it captures the unique marks a firearm leaves on every bullet and cartridge case it fires. It then searches for similar marks across the network, delivering the most likely associations to be reviewed by experts using 3D comparison viewing.
Here's how that workflow runs end to end:
From evidence acquisition to correlation to expert analysis. IBIS gives your agency the technology, the network, and the leads to advance gun crime investigations faster.
Watch VideoExplore our latest content, insights, and resources designed to help you get the most from IBIS.
Explore the components, capabilities, and science behind IBIS. See how it is helping law enforcement generate ballistics leads and advance investigations faster.
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Learn how the IBIS search engine extends the capabilities of law enforcement agencies to quickly find links between firearm-related crimes and advance gun crime investigations faster.
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See how BrassTrax, the fastest and most accurate way to acquire 3D images of cartridge case evidence, fits into the IBIS workflow to generate ballistic leads faster.
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Discover how BulletTrax captures submicron-level 3D surface detail from bullets, including damaged and fragmented rounds, and drives more accurate ballistic associations across the IBIS network.
DownloadGet answers to common questions about IBIS
For cartridge cases, IBIS captures breech face impressions, firing pin impressions, and ejector marks, the unique signatures left by a specific firearm's chamber and action. For bullets, IBIS captures the circumferential land and groove impressions left by the barrel's rifling. All markings are captured in high-definition 2D and 3D.
BrassTrax supports the full range of centerfire and rimfire cartridge cases from .17 to .50, including shotshells from .410 bore to 10-gauge. BulletTrax supports bullets from .17 to .50 caliber, including conventional, polygonal, and unrifled designs, both pristine and damaged.
IBIS Solution as a Service includes 24/7 multilingual support via phone and email, with responses within one hour. LeadsOnline operates five global support centers. Certified specialists provide remote diagnostics, feature support, and on-site service when required. A hardware refresh is included every seven years to keep your system current.
Yes, and that's by design. IBIS-powered networks are built for multi-agency data sharing at national and federal scale. Within a network, every participating agency's evidence is automatically searched against the full national database. Countries operating their own IBIS national networks can also establish data-sharing agreements with other networks. Connections that would be impossible to find manually, across agencies, states, and borders, surface automatically.