The 10/30/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Passed Pawns" established a dangerous idea. They insinuated that promotions are based solely on 'solves'.
My issue with this idea is twofold. First, an investigation has to be a team effort. No one person or entity will 'solve' the case. There are many facets to an investigation and albeit the forensics is one of the most important (I am a bit biased here) it also takes good old fashioned 'shoe leather' to complete an investigation. What about the folks who answer the tip line phone calls? What about the officers who conduct the neighborhood canvas? Even in the evidence area of the investigation there are those that document who are sometimes separate from those who collect and preserve the evidence. And in this day and age, it is a rare circumstance indeed for the crime scene technician to be the same person who actually conducts the analysis on said evidence. Also, in this day and age, there are specialists rather than generalists so multiple forensic scientists are involved in the 'solve'.
My second point is that the idea of counting 'solves' could potentially lend itself to an elevated pressure to 'fudge' some of the results. This is not only unethical but dangerous to the whole idea of justice. Let's hope that good old fashioned integrity and good work would be the reasons for a promotion which is earned on merit and experience.
The 10/16/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Last Supper" spoke of the use of mikrosil to capture knife tool marks in bone. This is a truthful and accurate, albeit rare, occurrence in an investigation. Mikrosil is a casting material that is usually used for 'classic' tool marks but certainly a knife blade cutting into bone is considered a tool mark. The identification of a knife when the blade strikes the bone hard enough and that tool mark is discovered in autopsy can certainly be valuable information.
Another useful bit of information obtained was the fingerprint in blood. Blood is useful and fingerprints are useful but you put someone's finger in someone else's blood and now you have a timeline. The victim had to be bleeding and the suspect had to have been at the scene after the bleeding began.
I do have a question as to a fingerprint maintaining its' integrity in a 'sugar' straw. Sugar would be extremely soluble and even though the 'sugar' straw may hold up for awhile with the liquid coursing through it, I have my doubts as to how valuable the minutae in the print would be. If you could get an individualization from that - wouldn't it be sweet?
The 10/14/13 Bones episode titled "The Lady on the List" brought about a few points of discussion.
I am not aware of the Smithsonian having a veterinarian on staff to be able to capture and care for a wild hawk. Amazingly Dr. Saroyan drew blood from the bird without issue for analysis. It is true that animals feast on the remains and that information can be obtained from what they regurgitate or defecate but I doubt that an agency would care for the rodent, bird, or mammal with as much care as was taken tonight.
Another issue is with the removal of the face like a Halloween mask. What happened to all the muscles and tendons and such holding the face on the skull? I have never seen anyone just "lift" the face without the use of a scalpel to cut it away.
The last issue is with the ear wax. I am not discounting that there is a gold mine of information in the wax but I have never seen it analyzed outside of a television show. I doubt also that a neat little ball could be obtained from the remains as was depicted tonight.
Bones and Booth were not the only ones 'repelling' tonight.
The 10/7/13 episode of Bones titled "The Sense in the Sacrifice" reminded me of the short story The Gift of the Magi.
The difference here is that Bones and Booth dealt with their 'ethical dilemma' by the willingness for each to be the one to kill Christopher Pelant. Even though they stared evil directly in the eye, it was not in either one of their personalities to just murder someone without immediate provocation. But because they felt that if they didn't do it, the other would be hurt, they independently decided to take care of it.
Even though it is a bit far fetched to believe that a forensic anthropologist would be placed in this emotional position, I find it more believable than Pelant slicing a body in the time that was portrayed. Especially when you compare his action to a team of people in a forensic lab who needed all their talents and a good amount of time to accomplish the same task.
Great drama but stretching realism.
The 10/2/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Take the Money and Run" begins with an armed robbery at a casino where the suspect used a strobe light sphere as a distraction. The suspect also fired his weapon and shot the security guard. This is hard to do under the circumstances presented.
Many law enforcement agencies practice shooting. Where I used to work they did what was called "butt, belly, left, and right". The value of the initial positions allowed you to practice in different positions to simulate different possibilities and circumstances you may face in the field and the use of both hands allowed for some familiarity in case your dominant hand was injured and you had to use your "weak" hand to fire your weapon.
I have also participated in practice firing a weapon in the snow, in the rain, in the wind, in the dark, and in the dark with flashing police vehicle lights. You'd be surprised how these different situations influence one's ability to hit what you are aiming at.
No wonder they call it a 'shot in the dark'. It's difficult to pull off!
