Government Technology - February 2008 - (Page 23)

CSI-Folsom Crime scene investigation could someday be as glamorous in real life as it is on TV. But for now, most police departments are merely concerned about collecting the evidence and keeping the chain of custody intact until the evidence is submitted to a crime lab. The Folsom, Calif., Police Department enhanced its crime scene investigation capabilities in 2007 when it purchased a new CSI truck and gave nine ofﬁcers CSI training. expectations for crime-solving technology. “I kind of think there’s always a tech effect going on, no matter the decade,” she said. With the justice system’s acknowledgment in recent years that eyewitness testimony is often incorrect, the desire for more evidence isn’t harmful to the system, according to Podlas. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have jurors out there who wonder, ‘Well yeah, I am used to seeing people bring fingerprint evidence. You’ve got that little old lady who wears glasses the size of four plate glass windows saying this is the guy who stole the jewelry out of the case; I’m not sure I believe her identification.”’ Foretelling the Future? Perhaps the biggest impact of the CSI Effect has been to spur interest in forensics among young people. Science and forensics programs are proliferating at colleges and universities around the country. “When I go out and do career days and talk to high-school and college students, people are really interested in becoming forensic scientists now,” Marquis said. “Although, I don’t think they realize how much work it is.” That could mean an influx of good people to the field — a factor that’s more important than slick new equipment, Fisher said. “The most important thing in crime labs today is the quality of the staff,” he said. “Most of the things we do are labor intensive. It’s not so much the equipment that solves the crime; it’s the quality of the people who are using the equipment, and their ability to recognize things they’re looking at and figure out how it’s related to a particular case. That’s oftentimes the key between a successful investigation and one that’s not.” Krane agreed, saying the popularity of fictional crime shows could boost the quality of both real-life analysts and the technology they use. “It’s conceivable that in another 10 or 15 years, there may even be handheld things you could use at a crime scene as opposed to the refrigerator-sized things that are the workhorses right now. Analysts down the road will be better, smarter, faster — and maybe even better looking.” Detective Sgt. Ron Peterson of the Folsom CSI examines kit contents. PHOTOS BY JESSICA JONES The ofﬁcers completed a two-week CSI course, and some have completed another advanced two-week class. The truck contains everything an ofﬁcer needs to process evidence, from a simple burglary to a homicide: Q-tips, tape, bags, black ﬁngerprint powder, gloves and narcotics test kits. The Ford F250 that is the Folsom Police Department’s CSI vehicle. 23 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - February 2008

Government Technology - February 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Screen Products Four Questions for... CSI Effect Bad Medicine Making Health Care Personal Cashing In GIS for Less Nabbing Speedsters First Person: Records Management Chatter Box Oregon Data Centers Go Green Products Two Cents Spectrum Up Close Personal Computing signal:noise Government Solutions - Spring 2008 Power Play Double Duty Cleaning House Twice Prepared Smart Move The Path to Success Foundation for Service

Government Technology - February 2008

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