So What Did Margie Say About.....CSI: Girls Gone Wild

In the 11/27/13 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Girls Gone Wild" technician Brody used two one dollar bills set at a ninety degree angle to photograph a shoe wear impression.  Obviously she didn't have her crime scene kit with her and used something at hand to give a relative size.   It is extremely important to include some type of scale when photographing either shoe wear or tire track impressions and it is standard operating procedure to abut them at a ninety degree angle at a corner of the impression.  But I think even she would have preferred something that would lay flat and not have all the crinkles and wrinkles that could/would create distortion.

It was interesting that she included something in the shoe wear photograph to use as a measuring tool but the tire tread pattern that was sent to the lab digitally did not show any sort of measurement at all.

Well, here is something that will measure up:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
We all have many things to be thankful for so enjoy your day and be good to each other.

So What Did Margie Say About......CSI: Helpless

I was thrilled that in the 11/14/13 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Helpless" that a CSI actually admitted that a surface was 'not conducive to prints'.

There is a symptom of these shows called the "CSI effect" which manifests in court trials.  The juries are so used to the fast and miraculous results seen in this television shows that they have come to expect the results in real life.

A lot of time and attention is now the duty of attorneys to explain why things are not there or why they don't have a case based on some of the same results that the jury saw in an episode last week.

The fact that the television show is slowly beginning to put some reality back into the excitement of criminal investigation is going to be a blessing to CSIs and attorneys alike in future court cases.

So What Did Margie Say About.....CSI: Under a Cloud

The 11/6/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Under a Cloud" included the statement that a defense review is the worst part of the job.

Certainly there is some anxiety included with such reviews as everyone can think of something that they would like to go back and do again or just do the first time.  Every scene investigation can be improved but no one person is ever perfect.  If you follow standard operating procedures and take thorough notes with proper documentation, there should be no problems. 

I have had several defense reviews.  That is the nature of our business and certainly the defendant's right.  I have not had a problem.  I credit my training and documentation for that.

The worst part of the job for me is always the realization of what people are actually capable of doing to each other.  That I have a difficult time with.

Technically, I would love to talk to someone with a portable laboratory like was portrayed in the episode.  I have several questions.  Do you have to recalibrate the equipment every time you cross a speed bump, railroad tracks, or a pot hole?  Some of these instruments can be sensitive.  Do you have any interference when you gas up the vehicle?  Don't the gasoline fumes cause concern?  How did it do a complete DNA analysis in a matter of seconds??

Perhaps this expensive alternative is merely an initial and preliminary test which will later be confirmed at the laboratory.  Or maybe I'm out of touch with the most modern of technology!

So What Did Margie Say About.....CSI: Passed Pawns

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.

So What Did Margie Say About.....CSI: Last Supper

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?

 

 



So What Did Margie Say About....CSI: Take the Money and Run

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!

So What Did Margie Say About.....CSI: The Devil and D. B. Russell

The 9/25/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "The Devil and D. B. Russell" shows how criminal investigation goes way beyond mere physical evidence.

More often than not the show focuses on a death investigation and how tangible evidence is recognized, collected, preserved, analyzed, and used to determine the crime and the perpetrator.

Once you add the dimension of living victims, the intensity changes.  Now there is the pressure of dealing with not only physical evidence but psychological evidence and doing the "analysis" in sufficient time and with the quality to actually save those lives.

CSI Russell even stated that investigators are 'trained to follow evidence but sometimes they just need to follow that voice'....

How much pressure is added when a human life is in the balance?  How do you determine what physical evidence is crucial when you don't have a physical scene but only a mere video or telephone demand?

Sure they used audio analysis and encryption and manufactured DNA, but it was the piecing together of the mental or the psychological evidence which led to the avenues to save the kidnapped CSI.

If only the clues had come together in time to save all the other victims!

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Skin in the Game

The 9/11/13 repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Skin in the Game" had its first blog entry on 5/16/13.

One thing tonight's episode brought to light was the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and the media.  The media always wants front line access and total information but law enforcement is usually leery of allowing either.

It surprises me that the reporter was front and center at scenes, with evidence, and listening in on interviews.  There is such a thing as "ride along" but such total access is certainly not a common occurrence.

In many instances when too much information is released an investigation is compromised.  There are always certain details kept 'close to the vest' and are usually facts that only a suspect would know.  This helps to validate the confession when, and if, one is obtained.  It also allows those individuals who like to confess to be eliminated when their details are 'not on the mark'.  How can these facts be protected if they hit the front page of the paper or the early edition of the news??

The paperwork alone between the reporter who has free access and the law enforcement agency would likely be enormous.  Both sides want protection and security.  Both sides have agencies behind them that would likely worry about forthcoming lawsuits from victims or witnesses or even suspects.

I know there is a first amendment right which protects free speech but I think that the price to pay for "free" speech is a bit excessive if a guilty person goes "free".  Don't you??
 

So What Did Margie Say About CSI: Fearless

The repeat 8/28/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Fearless" had its' first blog entry on 5/2/13.

 

Tonight I'd like to address their fingerprint match which consisted of only 5 - 6 points of identification.  It's true that one only needs about a 1/4" area of the print (a little smaller than the partial obtained on the small latex item in the show).  However, the points of comparison have to be there.

 

A fingerprint is comprised of friction ridge skin.  There are ridges that split.  If it splits into two lines it is called a bifurcation.  If it splits into three lines, it is called a trifurcation.  If it splits and comes back together to create a circle then it is called an island.  If the line stops, the end is called an ending ridge.  All of these are points of identification.

 

In the United States there is no specific number of points of identification needed to render an individualization.  It is usually up to the training and experience of the examiner.  However, it is rarely done on less than 8 points.  And now even that is being called into question.  And it is always done with verification by a human being - not the instrumentation.  The machines are only a tool.

 

When is the last time you heard of a machine testifying in court?  But wait - what is the name of the computer that won Jeopardy??

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Code Blue Plate Special

The first blog entry reference the repeat episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Code Blue Plate Special" appeared on 5/30/13.

 

Tonight I'll focus on the bloodstain pattern analysis.  I say bloodstain pattern analysis instead of blood-spatter because there is more to the science than the 'spatter'. 

 

In bloodstain patterns there are stains that are created through 'active' events and stains that are created through 'passive' events.

 

In this episode the significant analysis of the blood was done on passive stain patterns.  When the blood flows it will always flow downward due to gravitational pull.  When you look at the downward flow on the chin of a deceased you know that their original position was upright when blood began to flow.  Gravity pulls it down.

 

The same is true when looking at the flow on the clothing.  If a person is upright when they suffer a blood letting injury and maintain that position then gravity will pull the blood flow downward and this will be demonstrated on the staining on their clothing.  If they are on the ground when the blood flows then gravity pulls it downward across the curves of the body and this staining is evident on their clothing.

 

Where blood pools and where it saturates the clothing are also telltale indicators of body positions and subsequent motion or movement.

 

So you see, you don't have to have spatter, gunshot impact spatter or otherwise, to be able to interpret the language of blood and hear the story that it has to tell.  Even in the midst of "action" such as eight people being shot, the quieter evidence was the most informational.

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI's Sexual Assault Kit

The 8/14/13 repeat episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Backfire" had its first blog entry on 4/11/13.

 

This time I'd like to talk about the Sexual Assault Kit that turned the investigation in this episode.  I haven't spoken of the contents of the kit prior to now.

 

The clothes are taken.  If not all of the clothes, the underwear in particular is taken at the very least.  The victim may be asked to remove her clothing while standing on a large sheet of paper so that any trace evidence that falls off during the disrobing may be collected and possibly used to help identify a perpetrator.

 

The fingernails are scraped, again to collect any possible trace or potential DNA from the suspect.

 

Wounds and injuries are photographed.

 

Swabs are taken and potential evidential fluids are obtained from the mouth, the anus, and the vaginal area.  Sometimes the inner thighs are swabbed as well. 

 

If the interview of the victim suggests that other areas are to be swabbed, then that area is swabbed as well.  For instance, the suspect may have kissed or licked the victim.  These areas need to be swabbed.  The suspect may have bitten the victim  These areas need to be swabbed and photographed and if bite marks are present, casts need to be taken.  And obviously, if the victim ejaculated on the victim or other object, these areas need attention. 

 

Hair samples used to be taken in the form of combings of the pubic region in case suspect hairs were present.  As I have mentioned in the past, microscopic examination of hairs is no longer routine and hairs that naturally fall out will not have the root present to get a DNA profile.  But if hairs from the suspect are pulled out - now there is the potential to have the root present and possibly a DNA profile from the suspect.

 

Times have changed over the last few decades and sexual assault victims are interviewed and treated differently than in the 'good ole days' when it was essentially up to the victim to prove that she didn't entice the perpetrator and wasn't just crying 'wolf'.  In the 70's and 80's the rape victim had to essentially have suffered severe injuries to obtain any credibility to her accusation of assault.

 

Thank goodness we are past that.  Unless, I guess, you are a drunk teenage girl who has overdone the beverage intake at a party attended by high school athletes.  But this is a topic for another day.

So What Did Margie Say About...Systematic Approach to Crime Scene Investigation

Hello faithful followers and newbies as well.  I wasn't home last night so I thought I'd discuss a bit about the systematic approach to crime scene investigation.

It actually begins way before you get the call.  You must check your vehicle to make sure that it is functional and completely stocked.  How is your oil?  Does the vehicle have a full tank of gas?  How is your supply of bags, markers, tweezers, gloves, etc?  Is your camera functional?  Do you have spare batteries and memory cards?

When you get the call then you begin an emotional transformation.  You need to handle your emotions while doing your job.  A horrendous scene, especially one involving a child, takes a toll on you but it cannot interfere with the duties required of you.  A mental preparation and calming is essential.

Then you do a preliminary walk through.  The first priority on any scene is safety.  Safety and care of the victims and the law enforcement personnel.  Once the scene has been declared safe and medical attention has been rendered to those victims that can be helped by that, then comes the evidence.  One must evaluate the environmental conditions and establish a priority of the evidence to be gathered.  For instance, if you are working an outside scene and it is raining or soon going to be raining you must take precautions to protect vulnerable evidence from the environment.  A heavily traveled area is also a priority.  But you must determine the scope of the scene and the potential evidence prior to beginning any collection.

Once you know what you are dealing with and have an idea of the tools you will need to deal with what you have, then you begin documentation and collection.  Documentation consists of notes, photographs, and sketches.  You should takes notes on EVERYTHING.  What do you see, hear, smell, feel, and observe?  Are the lights on or off, what is the temperature, what is the thermostat setting, is anything out of place, and on and on.  Then you photograph to place the item of evidence in a relationship within the scene and then a close up of the evidence itself.  If it is in a difficult location such as under something or stuck in something or on top of something then supplemental photographs may be necessary.  Then the item is measured for placement in a sketch.

Then you collect and package for the best possible preservation of that piece of evidence.  Labeling is important as well.  You should have already designated areas for evidence, equipment, and trash.  Everything has a place and should be put in its place.  That is easier for organization and accountability.

At the final phase you ask for a 'fresh pair of eyes' if possible to review the area and view the scene to see if they notice anything that you may have overlooked.  This is also the time to dust for fingerprints and leave that black powder on everything.

Once back at the office or the laboratory is when the real fun begins:  PAPERWORK!!    

This is really just a brief discussion and "the tip of the Iceberg" but it gives the basics so that any Titanic disaster should be avoided.

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So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Dead of the Class

The repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Dead of the Class" airing on 8/7/13 also had a post from 3/21/13.

 

The episode begins with the description of the deceased females neck wound as an irregular laceration.  Wound interpretation can lend itself to some valuable information in a criminal investigation.

 

First there is a distinction between a cut and a laceration.  A laceration is not a defined wound but more of a tear.  A cut is a wound which has been 'sliced' and displays clean edges.  Also a cut is longer than it is deep and a stabbing is deeper than it is wide.

 

A wound's edge can often give information as to the width of a blade, if the knife has a hilt, if the blade is single or double edge, and if the blade is serrated. 

 

The depth of the wound may give an indication of the length of a knife's blade.  One must be cautious because if strength and force is applied during a stabbing the knife can go into the body farther than the length.  The skin has elastic properties and may reconstitute to an original state once the knife has been withdrawn.

 

I have spoken of Langer's Lines before.  These lines which are also referred to as cleavage lines is used to describe or define the direction within the human body along which the skin has the least flexibility.  One must also consider if the wound is located in a fleshy or fatty portion of the body or in an area where bone is prevalent.

 

Retrieving information from a wound, and documenting these informational points, is a good investigative tool.

 

Of course, nothing will ever be as definitive as "the Mark of Zorro".  Crime scene investigators should be so fortunate.

So What Did Margie Say About...NCIS: Devil's Trifecta

The repeat NCIS episode on 8/6/13 titled "Devil's Trifecta" begins with FBI agent Fornell getting shot and then shooting through the front windshield of a vehicle.

 

Bullet holes in the windshield glass are capable of providing information as to the sequence of the shots from the radial cracks generated by the damage.  Radial cracks will not cross an existing radial crack so it's easy to track the crack and see which was the original and which cracks then stop the others in their path.

 

Bullet holes in the windshield glass are also capable of providing information as to which direction the bullet was traveling when the damage was created.  A crater is created which shows direction as well as the side view of the glass gives you distinctive radial cracking.  'Radial cracks create right angles to the rear' due to the pressure and strain on the glass when the damage is created.

 

All is well and good so far but what they didn't account for is the potential for ricochet bullets once they hit the windshield.  The slope of the windshield also may create a problem with firing your weapon into and through the glass.  There have been cases of officers attempting to shoot through the windshield and end up injuring themselves by their own bullet ricochets.

 

Also it was a good thing that the bullet that hit Fornell actually hit the bullet proof vest.  Why didn't the shooter go directly for the head shot?  With a driver in a vehicle it would seem that the most visible and largest target would be the head of the driver.

 

Many years ago manufacturers designed a safety glass which is supposed to break into cubes when broken and damaged.  In a scene situation, it is good to consider how to protect the glass from 'shattering' when it is moved or towed for processing.  One good bump and all that great information is just a pile of cubes in the front seat and floorboard of the vehicle.  

The 7/31/13 "Last Woman Standing" episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation had an original blog post on 2/28/13.

 

Tonight I'd like to talk about the mechanism behind the bloodshed involved in the first homicide in the elevator.  The deceased died of blood loss from a breached artery.

 

The human heart is a pump which circulates the blood throughout the body.  The blood carries oxygen and nutrients picked up in the lungs to the extremities so cells can be replenished.  This is done by way of the arteries in the body.

 

The arteries are much more muscular than the veins in order to withstand the blood pressure which propels the liquid blood through the vessels in order to reach those cells at the extremities.

 

When the heart pumps and blood is under pressure while traveling through the body, there is a classic pattern created called an arterial spurt when this pressurized blood "squirts" out the vessel where a hole or defect is created.

 

As the body begins to die and lose blood pressure, the 'pumps' of blood become less forceful and also contain less volume.  You can actually count the heart beats by the number of spurts and tell the sequence by the characteristics created by diminishing pressure and volume.

 

If you noticed the elevator walls, they tried to portray these arterial spurting patterns.  On a crime scene the telltale clue that it is arterial is the amount of volume propelled by force to create these patterns.  A splash may demonstrate the volume but not the force.  Expirated and impact patterns may demonstrate the force but not the volume.  

 

In bloodstain pattern analysis it always comes back to the size, the shape, and the distribution of the blood patterns and what mechanism or event can create stains with these characteristics.

 

Sometimes bloodstain pattern interpretation is like our elevator - it definitely has it's ups and downs! 

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Forget Me Not revisited

The 7/24/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Forget Me Not" had its' first blog entry from the air date of 2/21/13.

 

This time I'd like to talk a little about some evidence that wasn't mentioned directly but was brought to mind during the discussion of evidence in regards to the wine glass in the hotel room.  Of course the obvious and most commonplace evidence is the fingerprint.  But they also noted the presence of lipstick on the glass.

 

If you have ever looked at a lip print you will notice both horizontal and vertical lines within the print.  There have been studies that indicate that these patterns of lines may be as unique as fingerprints.  For some odd reason, which has not been emphasized to my knowledge, the reliance of these line patterns for identification or individualization never really caught on in the forensic world.

 

It reminds me of ear prints.  Back in the day when there was a definite problem with safe crackers the ear print was considered an important piece of evidence.  As it turns out, to hear the tumblers in a locking mechanism, the thief would press his (or her) ear up against the safe.  Several cases have been known to include ear print samplers in order to make an ear print comparison. 

 

I guess as life gets more technical and complicated, so does the accountability of evidence.  It has been literal decades since I have heard any mention of anyone interested in pursuing studies to validate either ear prints or lip prints.

 

One aspect of today's security and identification technology does involve the scanning of the iris of the eye.  This particular facial feature is still as strong as ever in forensics.  I guess that old adage "the eyes have it" is truer than we think.

So What Did Margie Say About...NCIS and CSI this week

The 7/17/13 repeat episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Exile" had a original blog entry posted on 2/13/13.  The last post discussed autopsies.

 

This time I would like to make mention of the importance of elemental analysis.  The black streaks of oily residue test results turned out to be motor oil.  This in combination with the results of the analysis of the fragment of metal embedded in Marta's heel led the investigators to the Auto Body Shop where they located the crime scene of the homicidal beating.

 

The steps taken in a criminal investigation are like piecing together a puzzle.  Every little piece helps to make the overall picture.  One analysis leads to a scene or a victim or a suspect.  This is the 'triangle' in criminal investigation.  The best outcome ties all three together and links them.

 

On another note, I cringed when they picked up the burlap sack fiber in the hotel room where Estevan was killed.  Not that it was an improper technique to collect the fiber but it wasn't photographed in its' original position under the corner of the desk but rather "flying in the air" in the grip of the tweezers.  It is proper crime scene technology to bring your packaging material to the evidence rather than creating more travel or movement which creates the possibility of loss or damage.  And, of course, the tweezers must be cleaned prior to collecting any other piece of evidence.

The 7/16/13 repeat episode of NCIS titled 'Phoenix' begins with an exhumation of a body that had been buried for 12 years.

 

The body was in really good condition with only a little mold as a tell tale sign that it had been buried.  It was even in good enough condition that they could run toxicological tests on the liver.

 

The condition of a body in an exhumation relies on the tightness of the seals of the coffin. 

 

I have seen bodies that have been buried for over a decade, not unlike the one portrayed in tonight's episode, that look like they have only been buried for a short time.  On the flip side, I have seen bodies that were in terrible shape and some floating in excess water after only having been buried for a year or two.

 

The difference was the condition of the casket seals.  Extra moisture that seeps in does not do a body good.  I have seen coffins that have been washed up after a flood but upon opening the casket, the bodies were able to be identified by visual because of their good condition.

 

This is why a lot of suspects prefer cremation over burial to destroy potential evidence.  In reality all they would need to do is buy an inexpensive casket and have their "loved ones" buried in a flood zone. 

So What Did Margie Say About...repeat of CSI Fallen Angels

If you check the blog entry for 3/27/13 you'll see that the 7/3/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Fallen Angels" is a second repeat airing.  Unlike CBS, I will try not to repeat myself in this current blog.

 

The body of the Reverend and the man who jumped out the window both had their liver temperatures taken to help to establish the time of death. The internal body temperature is supposed to drop so many degrees per hour after death.  This, of course, can vary with environmental conditions and where the body is located.  The time of death is only an estimate at best and is really given as a 'window' and range of a possible time of death.

 

I noticed that Nick wore his gloves when walking to check to find the potential location of the cartridge case.  If you watch enough episodes you will notice that the technicians wear their gloves to answer their phones and perform menial tasks after and between evidence collection and handling.  This in essence defeats the purpose of using gloves to begin with.  It is recommended in crime scenes or laboratory work that the investigator or scientist change their gloves between each item of evidence collected or handled and they certainly should NEVER keep them on when walking out of the scene or away from a completed task.

 

I was also amazed that the batteries in the buried boys' key fob were still viable after a year underground.  Even if they were the super duper EverReady kind, could you really hear the beep under a significant depth of packed down dirt?

 

I do want to end the blog tonight the way I did in March - mentioning the blood.  They stated that the blood on the flashlight was black and not tacky.  There is no way to 'age' the deposit of blood but these are indicators of aging.  But like so much else in Forensics, the environmental conditions and the surface on which you find the blood could definitely affect these indicators. 

 

As always, it pays to be conservative and cautious.

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Dead Air

The 6/19/13 repeat "Dead Air" episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation caused an eleven on my forehead twice during the show from frowning and wrinkling my eyebrows.

 

The first time was when CSI Finlay stated that the spatter on the back of the anchor chair caused by the stab wound.....  Let's think about this.  What exactly would cause spatter?  If you think of the mechanism of stabbing, what liquid blood would be compressed or impacted to create spatter?  The blade enters and may cause internal bleeding but unless it hits an artery or some area that would cause an escape of air and blood, there is no spatter.  Then she went on to say that directional drops meant the killer went in a certain direction.  

That theory of directionality is fine but again let's consider the mechanism of a single stab wound creation.  The blade goes in and comes out directly almost in a wiping motion between the skin of the wound which rids the blade of excess blood.  Why is this important?  Because it takes excess blood on the blade in order to have a sufficient amount to drip off to establish this blood trail.  I would doubt that a single stab wound would generate such an amount on the knife blade to allow as many drops (if any) that were displayed.

 

The second was during the autopsy of Mr. Howard.  The Medical Examiner (ME) grabs the lungs to display the lack of soot within the lungs.  That is a good concept except that the lungs that the ME grabbed were as stiff as a board and clearly made out of plastic.  The show usually takes such pains to make things look lifelike and realistic that this was a big disappointment. 

 

What certainly rang true was the mass of photo flashes going off during the events depicted.  The press is notorious for being right there and taking as many photos as possible.  When they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, you would hope that they mean the crime scene photo taken by the CSI and not the press.

So What Did Margie Say About...cross, oblique, or skim lighting techniques of a CSI

On 6/18/13 there was a contractor who is not affiliated with VA Power (they stressed that) that cut down a tree and caused my neighborhood to lose power because it crashed into power lines.

 

As I was sitting in the dark watching the flicker of candles, fanning myself with a piece of cardboard, and listening to a battery operated radio - I found myself wondering why I don't have a laptop or a generator.

 

But I do have several flashlights!!

 

I always say on a crime scene that the flashlight is your friend.  It not only illuminates the dark but can give you insight into shadowed nooks and crannies.

 

It is also a great enhancement tool.  Try getting two pieces of paper and placing them on top of each other. Now write or print something on the top piece of paper.  Now toss that top piece of paper away.  If you use your flashlight and direct the beam directly on the second piece of paper, you light it up really well but you don't see much information.  Now begin to lower the flashlight so that the beam skims across the paper  The lower you go so that the beam hits the paper obliquely, you can begin to read the indented writing.

 

This works because the depth creates a shadow and allows you to see detail.  It's great on latent fingerprints and finding hairs and other trace on floors too.

 

So, even though I didn't get a chance to watch any television, hopefully I allowed you a chance to 'light up your life' with a technique called cross, oblique, or skim lighting.  Amazing, isn't it, how something so simple can work so well.  Unlike electricity or contractors!! 

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