Summary
- Crime scene investigations in movies and TV shows are not always scientifically accurate, but some scenes do portray forensic investigations correctly.
- Watching crime scene shows can inspire people to the field, but it can also skew public perceptions of what really happens at crime scenes.
- Some scenes inaccurately depict the handling of evidence, such as forcefully removing a bullet from a wall or picking up evidence without wearing protective equipment.
Crime scene investigations in movies and TV shows are some of the most popular of the genre, but according to experts, some scenes are not always scientifically accurate. Even though it's easy to think that watching these shows and movies means it's possible to commit a crime and get away with it, it's important to that the goal of these movies and TV shows is to entertain. Not every scene that involves forensic investigations gets things wrong. After all, there are usually experts on set that help ensure things are as close to reality as possible.
The popularity of crime scene investigations in TV shows and movies is a double-edged sword. On one hand, crime scene investigations in movies and TV shows have helped inspire more people to the field. On the other hand, these scenes have skewered public perceptions of what really happens at crime scenes. A good example of this is the time it takes to analyze evidence and get results. While several TV shows and movies portray that results can be obtained within a matter of hours using sophisticated equipment, that simply is not the case.
10 Trajectory Analysis
The Wire
The Wire, which was created by former police reporter David Simons, was one of the most popular police procedural dramas during its five seasons that aired from 2002 to 2008. The Wire features a variety of crime scene investigations, some of which do not employ accurate forensic procedures. In this particular scene, Bunk Moreland and Jim McNulty are at a crime scene trying to figure out the trajectory of the bullet that killed the victim. John forcefully removes the bullet that was lodged in the wall using a pliers-like instrument.
In his interview with Wired, Matther Steiner, a senior crime analyst and veteran investigator, criticized the way McNulty removed the bullet lodged in the wall. Seeing as bullets and not guns are usually sent to the lab for analysis, they are not supposed to be forcefully removed because it destroys the riflings. If the rifling from a bullet is destroyed, it makes it harder for the lab technicians to collect viable evidence (via Wired)
9 Personal Protective Equipment
NCIS
Seeing as NCIS follows a group of special agents investigating crimes related to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, one would assume that special care is taken in making the scenes realistic. However, in this particular scene, the special agents break a fundamental rule: always wear protective equipment when at a crime scene. The scene depicts the special agents at a bloody crime scene, and they are all in casual clothes with no personal protective equipment.
While at the crime scene, one of the crime scene technicians wipes his brow and then picks up evidence which means his DNA is now all over the evidence, thereby contaminating it. According to forensic experts, whenever evidence is being collected at a crime scene, protective equipment such as hazmat suits, gloves, and booties need to be worn to avoid contaminating the crime scene. Nothing should be picked up without wearing gloves.
8 Recovering Evidence
Zodiac (2007)
One of the most important rules of collecting evidence at a crime scene is that photographs need to be taken before evidence is collected or moved around. In Zodiac, the detectives are examining a car that was involved in a crime. One of the detectives spots a bullet and picks it up with a pen. The first thing that's inaccurate about this scene is that no photographs were taken before the evidence was handled. The second thing was that the bullet was picked up using a pen.
In reality, forensic experts have been seen picking up evidence with a pen, but that causes several problems. When collecting evidence, if objects like pens are used, it contaminates the crime scene. The pen has DNA of its own that can be transferred to the evidence being recovered, which is why there is special equipment that is used instead. While it's true that some forensic experts use this method, it's still something that is rarely done in reality.
7 Tire Impression Evidence
The Flash
Scenes that involve forensic experts in TV and movies looking at a tire impression and instantly knowing what car made them are pretty common. In The Flash, Barry and his team are at a crime scene where the getaway car left tire impressions. Barry instantly guesses that the getaway car was a Mustang Shelby GT-500. However, that isn't how the tire impression evidence is collected in real life. Instead, a dental stone casting is used to collect the tire impressions then later sent to the lab where it's run through a database that helps determine the make and model of the car.
6 Examining A Body
Loaded Weapon (1993)
Usually, in TV or movie scenes, crime scenes are filled with a lot of people, each seemingly hard at work at their tasks. In Loaded Weapon, Wes Luger and his team are at a crime scene with a dead woman in the middle of the room. In the scene, several investigators and police officers are seen moving around and collecting evidence. However, according to experts, crime scenes don't usually have this many people. The only people who are supposed to be there are the ones that are needed.
5 Crime Scene Analysis
Boondocks Saints (1999)
In Boondocks Saints, Paul Smecker and Connor MacManus are at a crime scene with a victim who seems to have been bludgeoned to death. The two detectives trade ideas on why they think the victim was killed the way he did. While this may come off as normal crime scene behavior, it is actually inaccurate. Crime scene experts do not typically focus on the why. Instead, their aim is to find out the who, the what, the when, the how, and the where. The why has to do with the motive of a crime, and that is something that is hard to prove with science.
4 Crime Scene Contamination
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Most crime scene investigators in movies and TV seem not to pay any mind to contaminating a crime scene. In No Country for Old Men, Ed Tom Bell and Deputy Wendell are heading into a crime scene while on horseback. There are a number of things wrong with this scene. Firstly, it's easy to miss evidence when looking from a high vantage point. Secondly, the horse hooves could be embedding evidence like bullets into the ground, not to mention erasing footprints. Lastly, Bell handles a bag of narcotics without wearing gloves, which is just not done in real life.
3 Stab Wound Analysis
Blue Bloods
In this scene of Blue Bloods, forensic pathologist Megan Carson is demonstrating how tall the perpetrator would have to be in order to inflict a stab wound. She guesses that the perpetrator would be a five-foot-six woman, which could also be wrong because height isn't always a factor in the direction of a stab wound. However, assessing the height of a perpetrator is not in the job description of a forensic pathologist. Their job is simply to document wound paths and figure out the cause of death.
2 Burned Body
CSI: Miami
CSI Miami is one of the procedurals that has used its creative license to create scenes that are rarely an accurate presentation of real-life forensics. In one particular scene, for example, Eric Delko and Calleigh Duquesne are trying to figure out where the accelerant that killed the victim is located. Calleigh uses a mini ray, which is a machine that detects hydrocarbon found in an accelerant. It is true that mini-rays are usually used to detect hydrocarbons by forensic experts. However, the way that it was used in the scene is scientifically inaccurate.
Calleigh waves the mini-ray around when she should be closer to the place where the suspected accelerant was, which in this scene was the ground. The mini-ray was a chance for the crime scene investigators in CSI Miami to use some cool tech. According to forensic expert Matthew Steriner, a search would have to be conducted at the crime scene which would result in a burn pool being discovered.
1 Forensic Anthropology
Castle
There are a variety of movies and TV shows that deal with cold cases. In some instances, a dead body would have to be excavated to collect evidence. In this particular scene, Castle and his team are at a crime scene doing an excavation. When the skeleton finally emerges, it's miraculously intact. According to experts, when a skeleton is excavated, it does not come out intact because of the tools like sledgehammers and shovels that are used in the process. Chances are debris will fall in or ribs might be broken because the skeleton would have accidentally had an impact with the equipment.
Sources: Wired