Frontline PBS Documentary on the real CSI
Summary: Frontline PBS Documentary on the real CSI
In this video Correspondent LOWELL BERGMAN questions the scientific validity of forensic science. He also expresses that it is not as simple as it appears on television shows. Detective. Joanna Grivetti who is a crime scene investigator in Richmond, California explains that the real life CSI is getting dirty, smelling things you don’t want to smell, seeing things you don’t want to see and dealing with blood in order to collect evidence that may seem small at the time, but will ultimately (possibly) be a big deal in solving the case.
For over a century fingerprints have been one of the most used tools of forensic science. Fingerprints have been used to identify criminals of small crimes such as petty larceny stretching up the ladder to crimes as serious as those committed by International Terrorists. It has always been thought that no two people in the world have the same fingerprints. In 2004 however, something happened that caused many people to question the reliability of fingerprint identification.
In 2004 a series of bombs in the subways of Madrid Spain killed and injured nearly 2000 people. The Spanish authorities found partial fingerprints on a bag of detonators. After they failed to make a match they sent the evidence to Interpol, who forwarded it to the F.B.I. Melissa Gische who is a Forensic Examiner for the F.B.I. lab in Quantico, Virginia stated that an examiner there was able to effect an identification.
Brandon Mayfield, a young attorney in Portland Oregon was shocked one early morning while working in his office. He answered an unexpected knock on his door to find 2 F.B.I. agents on the other side. They quickly identified themselves, pushed there way inside and proceeded to handcuff Mr. Mayfield. Mr. Mayfield was informed that fingerprints from his military records matched the partial fingerprints found on the bag of detonators recovered from the Madrid, Spain explosions.
After 3 different
In this video Correspondent LOWELL BERGMAN questions the scientific validity of forensic science. He also expresses that it is not as simple as it appears on television shows. Detective. Joanna Grivetti who is a crime scene investigator in Richmond, California explains that the real life CSI is getting dirty, smelling things you don’t want to smell, seeing things you don’t want to see and dealing with blood in order to collect evidence that may seem small at the time, but will ultimately (possibly) be a big deal in solving the case.
For over a century fingerprints have been one of the most used tools of forensic science. Fingerprints have been used to identify criminals of small crimes such as petty larceny stretching up the ladder to crimes as serious as those committed by International Terrorists. It has always been thought that no two people in the world have the same fingerprints. In 2004 however, something happened that caused many people to question the reliability of fingerprint identification.
In 2004 a series of bombs in the subways of Madrid Spain killed and injured nearly 2000 people. The Spanish authorities found partial fingerprints on a bag of detonators. After they failed to make a match they sent the evidence to Interpol, who forwarded it to the F.B.I. Melissa Gische who is a Forensic Examiner for the F.B.I. lab in Quantico, Virginia stated that an examiner there was able to effect an identification.
Brandon Mayfield, a young attorney in Portland Oregon was shocked one early morning while working in his office. He answered an unexpected knock on his door to find 2 F.B.I. agents on the other side. They quickly identified themselves, pushed there way inside and proceeded to handcuff Mr. Mayfield. Mr. Mayfield was informed that fingerprints from his military records matched the partial fingerprints found on the bag of detonators recovered from the Madrid, Spain explosions.
After 3 different