Big Sexy
04-23-2005, 23:16
CBS's CSI has helped make science cool again. Since the show debuted in 2000, applications to forensics schools have shot upwards -- everyone wants to be solving crimes like Grissom and Nick.
However, CSI's portrayal of criminalistics -- the field of forensics that involves the analysis of DNA, impressions and trace elements -- isn't an entirely accurate one. That won't come as a shocker to any regular TV viewers, but what is curious is the interesting stuff that the show leaves out. With the topic being hotter than ever, let's look at five things that CSI hasn't told you about forensics.
It's no secret that criminal forensics didn't start with CSI, but few people are aware of how just how old this science is. Fingerprinting was first used in China in the 7th century, as a means of signing legal documents. The first recorded use of science to solve a criminal case came in the mid-13th century.
However, many credit Frenchman Edmond Locard as being the father of modern forensics. In the early years of the 20th century, Locard published his Principle of Exchange, which postulated that there is always an unintentional exchange of material between criminal and victim, and that this material can be used to determine the criminal's identity. Of course, the field of forensics has blossomed far beyond this first theory. Here are five things that TV hasn't taught you about forensics.
1- Forensics is not a one-man job
In CSI, we'll see one investigator move through all the stages of a case, usually with only the assistance of a partner and some lackeys back at the lab. In a real forensics department, however, investigations are usually split between two categories of experts: the crime scene investigators (or CSIs) and the forensic scientists.
CSIs are trained in investigative research like fingerprinting, DNA collection, blood spatter pattern analysis, and photography. They apply these skills towards the collection of evidence from a crime scene, then bring the evidence back to the lab. This is often the extent of the CSI's fieldwork; they don't chase down leads, interrogate witnesses or shoot down suspects. They write reports and testify at trials.
Upon arrival at the crime lab, the evidence is passed on to forensic scientists for analysis. These people are not cops, but civilians. Other than the ballistics experts among them, they never go to crime scenes. They simply analyze whatever the CSIs bring them.
2- Forensics don't move on fast-forward
One of the CSI's writers, Elizabeth Devine, used to be a forensic scientist with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. In this light, one might expect nothing but accuracy from the program.
Nevertheless, in television, glamour trumps accuracy, and the actual occupation of a CSI is so boring and slow-paced that plenty of corners are cut in order to make it seem exciting. Given the time constraints, this makes perfect sense: Frankly, do we really need to see experts taking notes and filing reports for a full 60 minutes?
From the outset of their careers, CSIs move through life in slow motion. Before being considered for such a position, one must be a detective with an impressive service record. Once accepted, the CSI-in-training goes through an instruction and internship period that can last up to five years.
Upon assuming their posts, things don't move any faster for CSIs. They can spend up to 30 hours combing through a muddy crime scene, and are lucky if their DNA analysis can be completed in a week (not the 20 minutes that CSI indicates). It's also unfeasible for investigators to devote their time to only one case. Because of the imposing workload, it's not uncommon for CSIs to juggle up to 20 cases at a time.
3- The instant fingerprint database isn't foolproof
We often see investigators on CSI and other crime shows looking for fingerprint matches in a computer database that provides them with results instantly and, sometimes, even remotely. Such a database does in fact exist: the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is maintained by the FBI and contains information on over 47 million individuals.
IAFIS isn't quite as efficient as TV dramas make it out to be. Fingerprints can't just be scanned in; experts must perform detailed work on each one before it can be fed into the system. The results aren't instantaneous either. It takes a minimum of 40 minutes to get a match.
4- CSIs aren't jacks-of-all-trades
On TV, it seems like the CSIs know how to do everything. Grissom is a genius, isn't he? But you won't find this breadth of knowledge in a real life forensics department. There are many scientific specialties -- and accompanying experts -- required when investigating a crime scene.
There are some 20 different areas of expertise in forensics, including ballistics, computer forensics, entomology (the study of insects), genetics, odontology (the study of teeth structure), pathology, and toxicology.
For more obscure specialties or when a police department doesn't have an expert in a specific field, consultants are brought in. They are usually university professors. These consultants will help investigate the crime scene or assist in the autopsy before writing a report and testifying in court.
To make sure that the evidence holds up in court, quality control is critical. If a CSI incorrectly identifies an individual or wrongly singles out a fingerprint, he'll likely lose his job on the team. The ideal CSI will be able to swear in court that he's never made a mistake. That's all the more reason why they aren't expected to juggle multiple tasks across multiple specialty fields.
5- Forensics departments have budgets
On TV, the labs are equipped with cutting-edge technology which investigators use liberally. And on set, there's no reason why they shouldn't: companies supply these devices free of cost as a product-placement marketing strategy. In the real world, however, these machines can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so many smaller police departments don't have access to them. When they absolutely need a certain device, they'll request help from the state police or a federal agency.
Does all the technology that we see CSIs using really exist? One bit of oft-used technology that seems a bit suspicious is image-recognition software. How many times have you seen a TV cop use a mysterious computer application to highlight unseen footage from a security camera, like a face or a license plate? Well, this technology really does exist: there is digital-enhancement software that can effortlessly zoom in on small and blurry photo elements and make out details. Nonetheless, unlike on CSI, the images are never perfectly clear.
Until 2000, forensic science wasn't particularly popular. All that changed when the television series CSI and its two spinoffs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, began airing. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer first offered the original show to ABC, who turned it down. CBS accepted it and it single-handedly resurrected the flailing network. The franchise is now one of the most popular on television.
While the esteem for forensics is rather new, its presence in pop culture isn't. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes often resorted to science to solve crimes, as did Dick Tracy in the comic strips.
Moreover, forensics have been the focus of films such as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Kiss the Girls (1997), The Bone Collector (1999), and Murder by Numbers (2002).
With high profile cases always in the news, forensics is also constantly in the news. And with technology being improved every day, forensic science isn't about to fade away anytime soon. There's ample evidence to support it.
However, CSI's portrayal of criminalistics -- the field of forensics that involves the analysis of DNA, impressions and trace elements -- isn't an entirely accurate one. That won't come as a shocker to any regular TV viewers, but what is curious is the interesting stuff that the show leaves out. With the topic being hotter than ever, let's look at five things that CSI hasn't told you about forensics.
It's no secret that criminal forensics didn't start with CSI, but few people are aware of how just how old this science is. Fingerprinting was first used in China in the 7th century, as a means of signing legal documents. The first recorded use of science to solve a criminal case came in the mid-13th century.
However, many credit Frenchman Edmond Locard as being the father of modern forensics. In the early years of the 20th century, Locard published his Principle of Exchange, which postulated that there is always an unintentional exchange of material between criminal and victim, and that this material can be used to determine the criminal's identity. Of course, the field of forensics has blossomed far beyond this first theory. Here are five things that TV hasn't taught you about forensics.
1- Forensics is not a one-man job
In CSI, we'll see one investigator move through all the stages of a case, usually with only the assistance of a partner and some lackeys back at the lab. In a real forensics department, however, investigations are usually split between two categories of experts: the crime scene investigators (or CSIs) and the forensic scientists.
CSIs are trained in investigative research like fingerprinting, DNA collection, blood spatter pattern analysis, and photography. They apply these skills towards the collection of evidence from a crime scene, then bring the evidence back to the lab. This is often the extent of the CSI's fieldwork; they don't chase down leads, interrogate witnesses or shoot down suspects. They write reports and testify at trials.
Upon arrival at the crime lab, the evidence is passed on to forensic scientists for analysis. These people are not cops, but civilians. Other than the ballistics experts among them, they never go to crime scenes. They simply analyze whatever the CSIs bring them.
2- Forensics don't move on fast-forward
One of the CSI's writers, Elizabeth Devine, used to be a forensic scientist with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. In this light, one might expect nothing but accuracy from the program.
Nevertheless, in television, glamour trumps accuracy, and the actual occupation of a CSI is so boring and slow-paced that plenty of corners are cut in order to make it seem exciting. Given the time constraints, this makes perfect sense: Frankly, do we really need to see experts taking notes and filing reports for a full 60 minutes?
From the outset of their careers, CSIs move through life in slow motion. Before being considered for such a position, one must be a detective with an impressive service record. Once accepted, the CSI-in-training goes through an instruction and internship period that can last up to five years.
Upon assuming their posts, things don't move any faster for CSIs. They can spend up to 30 hours combing through a muddy crime scene, and are lucky if their DNA analysis can be completed in a week (not the 20 minutes that CSI indicates). It's also unfeasible for investigators to devote their time to only one case. Because of the imposing workload, it's not uncommon for CSIs to juggle up to 20 cases at a time.
3- The instant fingerprint database isn't foolproof
We often see investigators on CSI and other crime shows looking for fingerprint matches in a computer database that provides them with results instantly and, sometimes, even remotely. Such a database does in fact exist: the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is maintained by the FBI and contains information on over 47 million individuals.
IAFIS isn't quite as efficient as TV dramas make it out to be. Fingerprints can't just be scanned in; experts must perform detailed work on each one before it can be fed into the system. The results aren't instantaneous either. It takes a minimum of 40 minutes to get a match.
4- CSIs aren't jacks-of-all-trades
On TV, it seems like the CSIs know how to do everything. Grissom is a genius, isn't he? But you won't find this breadth of knowledge in a real life forensics department. There are many scientific specialties -- and accompanying experts -- required when investigating a crime scene.
There are some 20 different areas of expertise in forensics, including ballistics, computer forensics, entomology (the study of insects), genetics, odontology (the study of teeth structure), pathology, and toxicology.
For more obscure specialties or when a police department doesn't have an expert in a specific field, consultants are brought in. They are usually university professors. These consultants will help investigate the crime scene or assist in the autopsy before writing a report and testifying in court.
To make sure that the evidence holds up in court, quality control is critical. If a CSI incorrectly identifies an individual or wrongly singles out a fingerprint, he'll likely lose his job on the team. The ideal CSI will be able to swear in court that he's never made a mistake. That's all the more reason why they aren't expected to juggle multiple tasks across multiple specialty fields.
5- Forensics departments have budgets
On TV, the labs are equipped with cutting-edge technology which investigators use liberally. And on set, there's no reason why they shouldn't: companies supply these devices free of cost as a product-placement marketing strategy. In the real world, however, these machines can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so many smaller police departments don't have access to them. When they absolutely need a certain device, they'll request help from the state police or a federal agency.
Does all the technology that we see CSIs using really exist? One bit of oft-used technology that seems a bit suspicious is image-recognition software. How many times have you seen a TV cop use a mysterious computer application to highlight unseen footage from a security camera, like a face or a license plate? Well, this technology really does exist: there is digital-enhancement software that can effortlessly zoom in on small and blurry photo elements and make out details. Nonetheless, unlike on CSI, the images are never perfectly clear.
Until 2000, forensic science wasn't particularly popular. All that changed when the television series CSI and its two spinoffs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, began airing. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer first offered the original show to ABC, who turned it down. CBS accepted it and it single-handedly resurrected the flailing network. The franchise is now one of the most popular on television.
While the esteem for forensics is rather new, its presence in pop culture isn't. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes often resorted to science to solve crimes, as did Dick Tracy in the comic strips.
Moreover, forensics have been the focus of films such as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Kiss the Girls (1997), The Bone Collector (1999), and Murder by Numbers (2002).
With high profile cases always in the news, forensics is also constantly in the news. And with technology being improved every day, forensic science isn't about to fade away anytime soon. There's ample evidence to support it.