Forensics 101
This past Saturday I attended my chapter workshop where we had a forensics crime lab guy come in to chat with us. Although I don’t write Romantic Suspense, I enjoy a good crime scene, the same as everybody else. I learned some interesting things! I thought I’d share them below, for anyone who’s interested.
1. Crime evidence is never stored in plastic bags like you see on television. It’s stored in cardboard boxes designed specifically for cotton swabs, in paper bags, or other paper containers. Plastic would cause some evidence (e.g. blood) to smell horrible.
2. DNA evidence can be found on soda bottles with saliva, using blood, and skin cells off a gun trigger.
3. If you have an unidentified stain and you want to determine if it’s blood, there are chemical tests you can do. Sometimes on the tv shows, they’ll treat the stain directly for drama. In real life, a cotton swab is used to obtain a sample. Then there are several tests. You often see them using Luminol on tv, the glow-in-the-dark chemical that makes blood obvious. There’s a problem with Luminol, however. It reacts with bleach. So if the criminal tries to clean up with bleach, the Luminol will be so bright, it’s useless. Most cops use the Leuco-malachite test (LMG). It’s a two-part test where you use a green reagent (hydrogen peroxide) and leucomalachite. When you add the two substances to the suspected blood, it turns blue. The problem is, there can be false positives. If the suspect was slicing up roast beef, for example, blood traces would be evident.
4. Police will never touch evidence. If they do, they have to submit it themselves and fill out a ton of paperwork. Not worth it.
5. Corpses are not outlined in chalk at the scene. They just leave them there until they’re done with the scene.
6. Wounded men/women might be outlined, since they won’t leave them to bleed to death while they’re collecting evidence.
7. Digital photography isn’t used very often when photographing crime scenes. Most juries understand that digital photographs can be altered and there isn’t much trust there.
8. Bullets and cartridge cases can be matched to the gun from which they were fired by the rifling ridges marked on the bullet from the gun chamber and also from the firing pin.
9. Revolvers don’t expel cartridges. They remain in the chamber, which means criminals don’t have to pick up cartridges.
10. The most common guns on the streets are a .9 mm and a .380 automatic.
In other news, I worked out my plotting problems and wrote 5 pages yesterday. 
All in all, a good day.
Michelle posted in Writing @ 6:37 am | Viewed 1991 times
MaryF Says:
YAY on working out your plotting problem.
On Bones, no one wants to take possession of the evidence because of all the paperwork involved - glad for that bit of info!
beth Says:
Oooh…that sounds like a FUN workshop! I hate to admit that I’ve become a forensics junkie (though I do think that if called for jury duty I would be able to remember that most things on tv are not real - which is apparently a problem juries are having these days.)
Congrats on the plot problem resolution!:thumbsup:
Kelly Says:
Wow…that’s really interesting stuff. I’m going to be looking at CSI in a whole new light now.
Stacy Says:
That sounds like it was a cool meeting! Yay on the writing!:dancingfool:
Robyn Says:
Cool stuff. I highly recommend Howdunit, How Crimes Are Committed and Solved, ed. by John Boertlein.
Chris Keach Says:
Wow, Michelle! Some of this stuff I did know, but some is new to me. Thanks for helping me with my next suspense!
Melissa Says:
Wow. Interesting stuff!
WTG on figuring out the plot problems!!!
Melissa Mc Says:
YAY on the plotting and pages. Keep going!
April Alsup Says:
Really cool info! You’d think with the high paid consultants that tv would be a little more accurate, but you have to add in the entertainment factor! :batman:
Good for you on the plotting! Keep up the good work!:cheer:
Crystal* Says:
Sounds quite fascinating. There’s a lot of info in there.
Way to go on the pages!!!
Grins*
beth Says:
You know - I still get a kick out of the fact that I went to the state finals in high school for forensics.
Of course…that was public speaking not DNA testing. But sometimes I don’t tell people that and just watch their eyes widen.
Missie Says:
Thanks for the tips! Now I totally know how to clean up after I commit a felony and will probably not be caught and convicted. Unless you guys give me up. You won’t, will ya?:confused2:
Amy K. Says:
Interesting stuff! Good going on your writing, too!