6 Feb
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.
