Dear 'Experts': You Are Dumb
An article entitled “Experts Blame Cop Show For Educating Criminals” claims that criminals are getting smarter because of shows like CSI. This excerpt is from the intro to the article…
When Tammy Klein began investigating crime scenes eight years ago, it was virtually unheard of for a killer to use bleach to clean up a bloody mess.
Today, the use of bleach, which destroys DNA, is not unusual in a planned homicide, said the senior criminalist from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Klein and other experts attribute such sophistication to television crime dramas like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” which give criminals helpful tips on how to cover up evidence.
Hmm, seems like there is more use of DNA for evidence now than there was 8 years ago, so maybe now that it can be used against you in a court, you might want to cover it up. TV plays no role in the fact that you can get nailed by DNA evidence now more than ever. Plus, the example in the article is using bleach to remove DNA. I have not once seen bleach used in a Crime Drama. There is always some exotic, untraceable chemical that you can only get in one Pool Supply store down the street where the body was found by the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Plus, the techniques used in these shows does not reflect how real police work is done. Remains are not scrutinized under electron microscopes or investigated with infrared light – they sit on Nate’s mom’s dinner table while we sit around it pondering how the guy wound up in a ditch in 1998.
February 7th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
If criminals really wanted to get smarter they would go to their local library and do a little R and D. There are countless titles on serial killers, chemistry, taxidermy, cooking, etc. Plus our taxes pay for it!
The above article is full of idiocy. Do you really believe that criminals learned to use bleach by watching some primetime cop drama? Come on, janitors (of which 90% are murderers) already knew that.
February 7th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
I am glad to see someone is on the same page as me…
Little known fact, most serial killers are literate. One could postulate that Andy’s library theory might hold water (and duct tape and a pair of scissors)…
February 8th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
[...] Criminals of yester-year were not blessed with such cutting edge technology, and in fact, they had to construct their ransom-styleâ„¢ notes completely by hand. According to Tammy Klein of the LA County Sherrif’s Department if this technique is used on an upcoming Law and Order: Criminal Intent or CSI, criminals around the globe will be able to utilize this gadget technology for serious crime. [...]
February 11th, 2006 at 11:48 am
There’s a guy here where I live who runs a huge “janitorial service” and advertises heavily. Now everytime I drive by that building, I’m going to view it as the base of operations for local serial killers and other miscreant activities.
My recommendation is for everyone to act rationally and notify their local authorities so they can raid these criminal rings between 9PM – 10PM Eastern on Thursday evenings.