5 Things CSI Doesn't Tell You About Forensics

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5- Forensics departments have budgets
On TV, the labs are equipped with cutting-edge technology that investigators use liberally. And on set, there's no reason why they shouldn't: Companies supply these devices free of cost as a product-placement marketing strategy. In the real world, however, these machines can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so many smaller police departments don't have access to them. When they absolutely need a certain device, they'll request help from the state police or a federal agency.

Does all the technology that we see CSIs using really exist? One bit of oft-used technology that seems a bit suspicious is image-recognition software. How many times have you seen a TV cop use a mysterious computer application to highlight unseen footage from a security camera, like a face or a license plate? Well, this technology really does exist — there is digital-enhancement software that can effortlessly zoom in on small and blurry photo elements and make out details. Nonetheless, unlike on CSI, the images are never perfectly clear.

why is it searched?

Until 2000, forensic science wasn't particularly popular. All that changed when the television series CSI and its two spinoffs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, began airing. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer first offered the original show to ABC, who turned it down. CBS accepted it and it singlehandedly resurrected the flailing network. The franchise is now one of the most popular on television.

length of public interest?

While the esteem for forensics is rather new, its presence in pop culture isn't. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes often resorted to science to solve crimes, as did Dick Tracy in the comic strips.

Moreover, forensics have been the focus of films such as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Kiss the Girls (1997), The Bone Collector (1999), and Murder by Numbers (2002).

With high-profile cases always in the news, forensics is also constantly in the news. And with technology being improved every day, forensic science isn't about to fade away anytime soon. There's ample evidence to support it.

AskMen.com's Analysis
Of The Longevity Of This Term's Popularity - 8/10



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