ATLANTA — For the first time, the Atlanta Police Department is giving the public a behind-the-scenes look inside its crime lab, where forensic scientists work every day to turn evidence into leads and, ultimately, arrests.
The lab is one of only a handful of nationally accredited forensic laboratories in Georgia and allows Atlanta police to process certain types of evidence without relying on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“We try to keep our techniques quiet because anybody could watch the news,” said Candace Walker, director of the Atlanta Police crime laboratory.
Behind secured doors, examiners analyze fingerprints, firearms evidence, shell casings and other items collected from crime scenes across the city. Their goal is to help investigators determine who was involved in a crime, what happened and, in some cases, who pulled the trigger.
During an exclusive tour with Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter, crime lab employees demonstrated how they process evidence and explained how forensic science has helped solve real Atlanta cases.
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One example involved a vandalism investigation near 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue. Surveillance cameras captured someone spray-painting graffiti, but investigators say a fingerprint recovered from a spray paint can became a key piece of evidence.
“The team was able to lift a single impression from the press point of the spray can,” Walker said.
The lab’s firearms section also showed how examiners compare marks left on bullets and shell casings to connect weapons to crimes.
In one aggravated assault investigation, forensic investigators analyzed dozens of shell casings collected at a crime scene.
“Earlier in the year, we collected 91 cartridge cases from one scene,” said Jennings Kilgore, a forensic investigator. “After triaging that situation, we were able to determine that at least five weapons were used.”
Investigators say those kinds of findings can provide detectives with critical information and help narrow down suspects.
For Walker, the work is about more than science.
“The things that we do definitely affect people’s lives,” she said.
The Atlanta Police crime lab is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and plans to host an open house Friday for city leaders and invited guests.
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