The Real CSI

Many TV viewers are hooked on CSI (and its numerous spin-offs), in which scientists and detectives use intricate forensic science methods (including DNA analysis) to crack crimes. This PBS-aired Frontline documentary, hosted by journalist Lowell Bergman, takes viewers inside the real world of crime scene investigation. The most well-known tool in the CSI arsenal is the science of fingerprint identification, long hailed by the FBI and prosecuting district attorneys as "infallible" proof that places a criminal at the crime scene. But this certainty was recently shaken when a partial fingerprint found at the site of the deadly 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid pointed to Brandon Mayfield, a Portland, OR, attorney who was accused and jailed, although he claimed he was never in Spain. Mayfield was eventually freed when further investigation pointed to another suspect. Critics also attack the reliability of forensic methods including hair and fiber analysis, ballistics, blood spatter patterns, and bite mark evidence. Examiners called to testify at trial are sometimes called the weak link—occasionally swayed by unconscious bias—although prosecutors and police counter that they need all the forensic tools available to solve crimes. The most damning material presented here concerns lax licensing requirements for forensic experts—often supported by for-profit "certification mills." The Real “CSI” also features a detailed analysis of the notorious Casey Anthony murder trial, in which Anthony was accused of killing her young daughter. Anthony's defense attorney slams allegedly flawed forensic evidence, particularly in the matter of body decomposition, and the so-called "smell of death" found in a family car. Forensic science is still evolving, with the ultimate goal not being pro defense or pro prosecution, but rather pro justice. Interviewing accused suspects, investigators, and police officials, this interesting examination gives a fair hearing to both sides of a contentious issue. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)