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.....NCIS: Gut Check

The 11/19/13 NCIS episode titled " Gut Check" focused heavily on security. 

Gated parking lots, locked doors, metal detectors, and bullet proof or resistant glassed in areas haven't stopped persons who are intent on entering and creating havoc.

From watching recent news events, it would seem that most of the damage done lately is internal and not from outside sources.

Perhaps some of the $$ spent on security should be channeled toward sensitivity training and good mental health evaluations and programs.

I'm just saying....

So What Did Margie Say About.....Bones: The Mystery in the Meat

The 11/22/13 Bones episode titled "The Mystery in the Meat" was based on a person having been killed, placed in a meat grinder and added to stew which was then packaged in cans and sold to several locations, one being a school.  My question is: how did such a long piece of clavicle bone survive the machine that 'ground things into uniform pieces'?  And if this were so, how could the only mark on the bone produced by a sharp instrument be from the murder weapon and not the blades of the grinder? 

I find it interesting as well that a whole eyeball would survive the process.  It would seem that such a fragile part of the human body could not maintain its shape and inner fluid through such a process.

But the one thing that flustered me was the insinuation that arterial blood spray in the hair would withstand a dozen washes and still remain.  Just ask someone who cleans crime scenes as a profession.  There must be some cleaner that will wash it all away!

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.....Bones: The Nazi on the Honeymoon

In the 11/4/13 Bones episode titled "The Nazi on the Honeymoon" both Forensic experts said that visiting the springs was not a good idea because they contain wild boar fecal matter.

This takes me back about two decades when one of my job duties was to test the public swimming pools and the water parks for bacteria.  Boy, the things that grew in some of those waters!!

Now I know that thousands of people have played in the waters and very few have gotten deathly ill.  So the adage that ignorance is bliss really applies here.

Studies have been done that indicate with all the antibacterial soaps and lotions that we are becoming our own worst enemy when it come to battling germs and bacteria.  We can't build up a tolerance to such germs and bacteria without exposure to them.

Still, to this day, I have a hard time getting all those overrun petri dishes out of my mind when it comes to the inviting clear waters.

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?

 

 



What Did Margie Say About....Bones: The Lady on the List

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. 

So What Did Margie Say About....Bones: The Sense in the Sacrifice

 

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.

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.....Bones: El Carnicero en el Coche

The 9/30/13  Bones episode titled "El Carnicero en el Coche" made me smile when there was a burst of bloodspatter on the interior windshield after a blast of rounds from an automatic weapon killed the driver.  It did not match the two bullet holes with a small amount of blood flow from facial wounds when the victim was viewed.  The victim also was wearing a wool cap which would have contained a lot of the 'burst' of spatter.  I also don't think that an automatic spray of gunfire would only result in two facial wounds.  What a terrible shot the shooter was if this is so.  I would imagine that an automatic weapon with the firepower displayed would create a great deal of damage if just aimed in a general direction.  It sure did a lot of damage to the glass and body of the vehicle!

I did appreciate the reenactment reference the yaw of the bullet to answer the question as to why there were two entry wounds but no exit wounds in the initial victim.  The beveling of the skull bone was mentioned.  Usually there is a conical shape which indicates which way the projectile is traveling.  Some wounds are more difficult to determine if entry or exit but within a series of examinations such as the underlying bone beveling; the underneath damage of the injury skin; the tearing of the skin surrounding the injury; and even potential reenactments, the wounds are usually determined correctly.

Interesting show tonight, I am very happy that original episodes are back!

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.......Elementary: Heroine

 

The 9/19/13 repeat Elementary episode titled "Heroine" begins with Irene Adler (aka Moriarty) stating "as if men had a monopoly on murder".

True enough, when I began my career in the late 70's females were usually only considered as suspect when it involved domestic violence or when their children were killed.  It was usually considered a crime of passion or as a result of a mental illness.  It was not considered that there was planning and thought behind the elimination of life, not by a woman.

As the years went by and women held more positions of authority in society it became true that they may have also become more violent in other aspects of society.  However if you look at statistics of serial killers (people who kill multiple people over a time period); spree killers (people who kill multiple people in a short period of time); and now active shooters and/or work related violence shootings, the perpetrators are for the most part male.

Criminal profilers who develop a potential suspect rely on these trends to develop their profiles.  How long will it be before women break the glass ceiling of criminal violence and therefore make it necessary to reevaluate those profiles?

So What Did Margie Say About....NCIS: Damned if You Do

The 9/17/13 repeat NCIS episode titled "Damned if You Do" presented quite the dilemma to folks who believe that answers are all in black and white.

Some of the quotes from tonight's episode include:
"good people making bad decisions", "ruin a good pair of shoes to do what's right", "can't be held responsible for what you don't know", "take responsibility for actions", and "put all the secrets behind us and the honest man comes out on top".

I am reminded of the song Blurred Lines.  You know what you have been taught and you know what you believe in but does the world's rules always follow the true and narrow?  Do you at times have to make decisions that you don't like but know that in the long run it may be the best and most beneficial for the circumstances?

Anyone who is a position of authority or who has great responsibility knows that their career path is not paved in gold but often the pathway is full of ruts and mud.  You may be able to clean your shoes but does the smell ever really go away?  Is it true that the end justifies the means?

A lot to think about.  A lot to digest.  A lot to decide where you stand.

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...NCIS: Double Blind

The 9/10/13 NCIS repeat episode titled "Double Blind" incorporated a fire investigation within the episode in which the fire began in a fuse box.

 

In a fire investigation the investigator wants to rule out the cause being accidental or an act of God before they call it Arson - an intentionally set fire.

 

An act of God would include a lightning strike which can often cause a fire.

 

An electrical fire can be caused by a short in a fuse box or an overloaded outlet.

 

An accidental fire may be as a result of a burning candle overturned, someone falling asleep and dropping a burning cigarette, a forgotten pan left on a stove top, and/or a heater too close to combustible materials.

 

To show Arson one would look for multiple sources of origin, pour patterns, or severe burning in an area not containing a lot of natural combustible materials.  Of course there are things which can indicate these indicators but are misleading.  For instance, if the foam in a sofa melts and the resulting liquid "pours" across the floor, it will simulate an accelerant pour pattern but is actually an natural occurrence due to the fire and heat.

 

The fire triangle states that oxygen, heat, and fuel are all necessary for sustained fire.  Without any one of these the fire cannot exist.  To determine if the fire was 'assisted' in its intensity or its creation is the job of the fire investigator.

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg to fire investigation.  I apologize for using this analogy (ice) when dealing with such a HOT topic.

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 Does Margie Say About....NCIS: Shiva

The repeat NCIS episode on 8/20/13 titled "Shiva" clearly demonstrates why any investigator or supervisor too close to the crime should not be involved in any capacity with the investigation. 

 

Oftentimes the agency itself is eliminated from being the lead agency in the investigation.  In the Commonwealth of Virginia, a crime involving someone related to or part of a local law enforcement agency is usually handled by the Virginia State Police.

 

Even if the local agency investigator could remove his emotions from the circumstances, which is almost humanly impossible, the "smell test" won't be passed at court time.  Any defense attorney will go full tilt to show the jury how prejudiced and emotional the investigator is due to the ties to the victim.  The tie may be a direct relationship or just the result of working in the same agency as someone related to the victim.

 

Any investigator needs to keep an open mind and a level emotion.  I dare say that anyone with human empathy and compassion could not do this if the situation is just too close to home.

 

An overzealous investigator or supervisor is a detriment to a good outcome regardless of how pure the intentions are.

 

It is never a bad thing to ask for assistance, especially when the result is the ultimate truth.