Did you ever wonder "How accurate is CSI?"
How is evidence is processed?
Or where? Or by whom?
Who gathers the evidence? And how?
How are autopsies performed?
Tell me about forensic profiling. Does that really work?
What does that abbreviation stand for?

When I'm researching for a new plot, I ask these same questions. Luckily, I've been able to find some great people to answer them for me and help me put it down on paper in a way that's both entertaining and easy to understand. But inevitably, my curiosity gets the better of me and I end up with more questions. So...here's where I explain some of the technical terms that I've come across in my research that may not be reflected, at least not in great detail, in my stories. In viewing this information, if you end up with additional questions, feel free to email me, and I'll see if I can get you an answer and post it right here for everyone who may have had similar thoughts.

Happy reading!

What does SAIC mean?
SAIC stands for Special Agent in Charge. It's a term used by many state and federal investigative agencies, such as the NCSBI, the FBI, the CIA, and many others for an agent who heads up a team or division.

How are autopsies performed?
Certain types of deaths must be investigated. Those are death by injury or delayed complications from injuries, deaths where no attending physician was present, mysterious circumstances (murder, suicide, other types of foul play), sudden, unexpected deaths when the victim was in good health, or complications caused by infectious agents or diseases. There are two types of autopsy...clinical and forensic...but we're gonna concentrate on forensic since I write crime fiction.
Let's assume the body's in the morgue and ready to go. First comes the external exam. The body is first photographed inside of the body bag or evidence sheet. Notations are made regarding condition, any clothing and its positioning, and any obvious clues (like a knife sticking out of the chest). Next, the clothing is removed, bagged, and tagged. Morgue attendants do not collect evidence from clothing. That's left up to the crime lab. They do, however, collect evidence from the body (hair and hair combings, blood, fibers, semen, paint chips, nail scrapings, GSR, etc.). They might also x-ray the body.
Next comes the wound examination. This is done before the body is cleaned. This can be difficult and time consuming depending on how the victim died. Homicide investigations require even more time and attention because the medical examiner will be required to testify in court. Once cleaned, the body is weighed, measured, fingerprinted, and then placed on an autopsy table. At this point, a general description is recorded which should include race, sex, hair color and length, eye color, and any other identifying marks (scars, tattoos, birth marks).
Next comes the internal exam, which starts with the Y-shaped incision you see on TV. I won't go into the details of how the disection is performed, except to say that the organs are removed so that they can be examined separately. This will include examining the contents of the gastrointestinal tract (known by some as the gut wash), as this can help determine cause and time of death. And finally, the brain and skull are examined for trauma, before finally putting everything back and sewing it up. The average autopsy will take about 4 to 6 hours.
Incidentally, some medical examiners use tools that one would not normally expect to find in a morgue...bread knife (for trimming organs), hack saw, pruning shears (for cutting through ribs), and restaurant-grade knives. The reasoning behind this is that they don't have to worry about nicking arteries and such things that would normally get them sued for medical malpractice. Autopsy tools are really not much different, and in some cases, exactly the same, as what you'd have in your own home. The difference is that when marketed specifically for autopsy, they triple in price, so why not use your local restaurant supply dealer.

What's the difference between a coroner, pathologist, and medical examiner?
The word "coroner" is a hold-over from British colonial times. Originally, the coroner was appointed by the King to determine if a deceased individual was indeed really dead, especially those deaths that occurred under questionable or unusual circumstances. The colonists later brought the position to America where the coroner eventually became an elected official. Today, the position is mostly obsolete, although some rural areas still have them. In those areas, the coroner is the head law (wo)man, even over the Sheriff. There are no licensing requirements for this official.
A pathologist is a licensed medical doctor who is trained in medical diagnosis through the study of organs, tissues, cells, and body fluids.
A medical examiner is an appointed official whose job is perform autopsies to determine cause of death, especially in those instances where the death was unnatural or caused by suspicious circumstances, although much of the grunt work is performed by assistants. The medical examiner is required by law to be a licensed medical doctor specializing in pathology, and in some areas, may even be required to hold a law degree. The Chief Medical Examiner is the one who testifies in court as to the circumstances surrounding a suspicious death.

How accurate are "CSI" and all those other crime shows that are so popular today?
Kinda sorta, but not really. CSI and other similar shows have an entire case wrapped up in a tidy little package designed to be solved in an hour. However, this is not accurate. Yes, they perform the same tasks as a real investigator, but not the way they show on TV. For instance, take the role of the medical examiner. CSI always shows the medical examiner in the autopsy room bent over a body, but that's not accurate. Most parts of an autopsy are performed by ME assistants (pathologists), while the chief medical examiner is the final authority on cause of death and the person who will be asked to testify in court, except in high-profile cases where certainty must be 100% and procedures must be followed to the letter. Add to that the roles of the investigators. All CSIs do not perform every task as they do on the show.They are highly trained professionals who specialize in certain aspects of crime scene investigation. Some deal with biological evidence, while others deal with tools, weapons, vehicles, or other physical evidence. Then there are DNA analysts. The only member of the TV CSI team who even comes close to real-life is ballistics expert, Bobby Dawson (played by Gerald McCullouch). That seems to be his only task on the show. Also, CSIs don't interrogate suspects. That's best left to the cops. They will sometimes speak to persons who may have witnessed the crime to find out details like whether they touched anything, but they are not trained as interrogators. Also, analysis of said evidence is nothing like what you see on television. Most labs are not equipped with all of the fancy equipment you see on CSI. You can't just pop a paint chip into a machine and expect to learn that it's Sherwin-Williams indoor flat latex #6924 (that's Direct Green to you and me) in a matter of minutes. It can take weeks for the results of an analysis to come back. Fingerprint identification doesn't come as easy as they make it on TV either. It can take days for a hit, and that's only if the print is on file, AND if the agency looking for it is plugged into IAFIS. Some agencies don't even have any sort of automated fingerprint identification system and must still use fingerprint cards, which requires someone trained in the art of matching prints by eye. And speaking of fingerprints, those TV CSIs use entirely too much print dust. If real techs collected prints like that, they would smudge every one.

How is evidence is processed? Or where? Or by whom?
coming soon!

Who gathers the evidence? And how?
In a nutshell...and this has been very generalized. There are other details that will have to be taken care of such as acquiring search warrants, calling in specialists (blood spatter, entomologists, specialized collection equipment, etc.),
First and foremost, the most obvious parts of the crime scene will be identified (house, car, lawn, etc.) and secured. That is, the first officer on the scene will clear the area (check for living victims, the presence of the perpetrator, or other dangers) and then secure the scene against unauthorized personnel and/or destruction of evidence. (S)He then calls for backup, ambulance service, or whatever other emergency personnel may be needed and waits for them to arrive. The CSIs DON'T do this as you might have seen on the show as most CSIs are civilians, NOT sworn officers, so they don't walk around with a big, ole pistol strapped to their hip. Now, on with the show.
Their first task is to document the scene with photographs and/or video, sketches, and written notes, all while taking great pains NOT to disturb any evidence. And speaking of photos, they don't just snap 42 pictures one behind the other like they do on the show. Each photograph is carefully documented with the date, location, description, photo/roll number, and any other details that may be pertinent, in a photo log. Now it's time to collect things. Depending on the type of scene, different CSIs will work different areas collecting specific types of evidence depending on their areas of expertise, bagging, tagging, and documenting as they go.
And finally, it's off to the lab where the person who collected the evidence may or may not be the one who actually processes it because not all CSIs are forensic scientists. CSI duties are divided into two groups. Fieldwork, or crime scene analysis (what's done at the scene), and forensic science (the processing that occurs in the lab).
One thing you may have noticed on TV is that CSIs seem to always put the items they've collected in plastic bags. While this may seem like a good idea, it's not always the best thing to do. Certain types of evidence, especially biological or wet items, should be placed into paper bags. Why, you ask? Because wet combined with heat breeds all kinds of nasty contaminate like mold, mildew, and other nasty little critters that you wouldn't want contaminating the evidence. Paper bags allow the passage of air, which tends to dry these things out. The one thing that all collected pieces of evidence will have in common is a chain-of-custody tag. The first signature on this label will be the person who collected it. After that, each person who handles it will make a similar notation on the label.

Tell me about forensic profiling. Does that really work?
coming soon!

How is time of death (TOD) established?
coming soon!