(KNSI) — With the recent spike in gun-related crimes, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives says law enforcement will have a new tool in their arsenal to process ballistics evidence more quickly and track down those responsible.

The temporary addition of a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network mobile van allows investigators to compare images of submitted ballistic evidence from shooting scenes and recovered firearms and produces a list of possible similar results. Local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement can input their ballistic evidence into the system, enabling investigators to match it with other national cases. It can help reveal “previously hidden connections between violent crimes in different states and jurisdictions.”

Trained NIBIN technicians then review the results and can identify leads or potential links or associations from the same firearm.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has already cleared the backlog of gun-related crime cases by 25%.

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