Jacquelyn Dohoney

July 30, 2022

Here I am two-thirds of the way through reading this excellent thriller, when I hit a brick wall: crime scene processing misconceptions. I had to go back and read it. Did they just say that fingerprints are processed right at the scene? Yep… they did. Here we have another example of what I like to call the CSI effect. Buckle up guys, because this is going to be a long one!

When I was a kid in junior high school, I knew forensics was what I wanted to do with my life. I used to watch Columbo, Adam 12, Quincy ME, and Perry Mason. I loved investigations to the point that I used to steal my mom’s eyeshadows and use them to fingerprint my house. Imagine her irritation at seeing little purple and blue splotches all over her walls. Spoiler alert, she was NOT happy. But I had already decided crime scenes were my jam. And then CSI came out a few years later.

So what is the CSI effect, and what are some examples? Put quite simply, it’s misconceptions about crime scene investigation due to the popularity of criminal investigation shows like CSI. What you see in those shows is not always how it really works. Some of it is factual or based on real cases, but there’s a good amount of embellishment too. Now I love those shows just as much as the next guy, but my husband is always laughing at me when I yell at the tv, “That’s not how it’s done!” or “ That’s not even a real thing!” So what are some examples of the CSI effect? I interviewed Sergeant Ali Richmond of the Murray Police Department Forensics/Crime Lab recently, and we came up with a great list for you!

1. Crime scene gets processed and crime is solved within an hour. This never happens! Here’s what Ali had to say: “Even crimes such as thefts and burglaries with physical evidence will take a minimum of a day if I am not backlogged and there are only a few items of evidence process. The evidence is collected from the scene, booked into evidence, then I take it out of evidence when I am ready to chemically process it or send it to the state lab, photograph any developed prints, enter the prints into MBIS (new AFIS) and then analyze and compare them.”
2. Crime scene investigator shows up in a white pant suit and high heels. (This DOES NOT happen! Jeans, a t-shirt, and tennies? Absolutely. Processing a crime scene takes a long time, so you want to be as comfortable as possible. You aren’t going to see someone dressed up like they’re going to brunch processing a crime scene). My go to was usually jeans and a t-shirt. I even had a special pair of shoes just for investigations that NEVER went into the house. They stayed in the garage. A lot of people I know in the industry don’t interchange “crime scene clothes” with everyday clothes. And as Ali says, “Blood, finger print powder, and odor ya right!”
3. Fingerprints processed at the scene and instantly matched. This one is the one that sparked this blog post. I used to work at a DA’s office in their forensic tech unit. I worked solely on cases that went to trial, and one of my jobs was to be the last person to verify a set of prints. For all intents and purposes, I was (one of) the V in ACE-V. Even having something to compare it to, it takes hours. And by the time you find all the points, you’re seeing zebra stripes. I mean that literally. But if you DON’T have something to compare it to? Not a chance. 
4. Using a glove that is not actually on to pick up evidence. (You don’t touch ANYTHING at a crime scene unless you have to, and you ALWAYS wear gloves).
5. Using a pen/pencil to pick up evidence.
6. Picking up evidence before it’s marked and photographed (usually at closeup, midrange, and overall scene photos).
7. Crime scene investigators/forensic techs going after suspects (Guys, this is not done. Forensic techs are only there to process a scene. That’s it. The only time they have to interact with a person related to the crime scene is if they are processing the person themselves, i.e testing for GSR, DNA swabs, finger prints, debris under fingernails, working with a SART nurse, etc.) If you’re not a civilian though? Bring on the ass kickin’!
8. Not wearing gloves at a crime scene. (See number 4!)
9. Touching their phone, face, hair, etc after using gloves contaminated at the crime scene. (This one drives me BONKERS). Both Ali and I would LOVE to use the ALS on these people!
10. Evidence bouncing from person to person without following a strict chain of evidence. The chain of custody is a real thing guys! Don’t forget to include it in your writing!
11. Suspect admitting to the crime and it being closed instantly with a nice tidy bow. If that were the case, we’d have no court systems!
12. Bullet entrance and exit wounds that don’t match (i.e showing an exit wound that looks like an entrance wound or gunshot through glass that doesn’t match the breakage pattern in the glass). If you want some great examples of bullet wounds, let me suggest reference number one in my list below!
13. BLOODSTAINS. Bloodstains that don’t match the method/weapon (i.e when movies use arterial spray for a gunshot wound, gravity drops (round) used when action drops should be used (oval shaped with a clearly discernible tail that indicates direction of travel and also has satellite stains). This was my absolute favorite thing when I was going to school. But like Ali says, it doesn’t work like it does in Dexter. It’s a ton of work, documentation, and Math! Oh all the math! But damn, it is really cool when you solve that puzzle!
14. Here’s a couple of other items to note, coming straight from Ali! “Not all prints can be analyzed and compared. TV prints are always perfect and put into the computer with no effort. Prints in real life can be very difficult and might not contain sufficient ridge detail to do a comparison.” As an example, when I was in school I used to practice (with my son) getting fingerprints off of different household surfaces. About 2/3 of the time, I couldn’t get anything but a smeared blob. 
15. Another forensic myth, “DNA solves EVERY case. Not true! DNA has made a lot of advances and has solved old cases but there needs to be someone to compare it too. So if the suspect is unknown and has not had DNA submitted there will not be a match.”

These are just a few examples I came up with off the top of my head and fleshed out with Ali’s help. I’m sure given time we could think of more, but I think you get our point. And I know what you’re thinking: ok know-it-all, what about the people that don’t have a background in forensics or don’t have access to someone that works in forensics? I have a great list of reference books that I love and still use regularly in my writing. Good thing too, because some of these were not cheap! So if you have the extra cash lying round, I highly suggest investing in some of them! Not only are they incredibly useful, but they’re absolutely fascinating! Just click on the titles to find them on Amazon!

1. Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death (this is my absolute favorite reference book for pathology information. It’s great for death scene descriptions as well as wounds and what actually happens to a body after death.)
2. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction By Tom Bevel ad Ross M. Gardner (I love love love this book. I can’t say enough good things about it!)
3. Taber‘s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
4. Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science by Richard Saferstein and Tiffany Roy
5. Advances in Fingerprint Technology
6. Handbook of Forensic Psychology by Irving B. Weiner and Randy K. Otto
7. A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes by M. Lee Goff
8. Fundamentals of Criminal Investigation by Charles and Gregory O’Hara (this is the edition I used, but there may be a newer one out there!)
9. More Chemistry and Crime: From Marsh Arsenic Test to DNA Profile by Samuel Gerber and Richard Saferstein (this one is a little older but it’s still a great point of reference)
10. Dark Dreams: Sexual Violence, Homicide, and the Criminal Mind by Roy Hazelwood and Stephen Michaud
11. The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood’s Journey Into the Minds of Sexual Predators by Stephen Michaud and Roy Hazelwood
12. Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives By Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas
13. International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts
14. American Academy of Forensic Sciences (I am a former member and I highly recommend getting a subscription to the quarterly journal to stay updated on current forensic technologies!)

Now this is by no means a comprehensive list of the references I use, but I have used all of them in my theses on Violent Sexual Homicide and The Effect that Chemical Blood Enhancements Have on Latent DNA. I also use them in my writing now! My point to all of this, is that if you’re going to write a crime novel with any amount of forensics, make sure you have your info right! Even if you aren’t in the field yourself or for some reason don’t have the ability to speak to someone who is, there are tons of resources to make sure you, the writer, have as much of the proper info you need! Trust me, you’ll thank me for it!

Thanks for reading guys! I’ll be updating this list in the near future when I’m finally able to unpack my old textbooks! In the meantime, if you have questions about anything or need a finger pointed in the right direction, give me a shout! I’m always willing to share my resources!

-Jackie