'CSI' spurs interest in Weber State program

OGDEN — Forensics can bring life to the scene of death.

Bugs help determine how long a body has been cold. Teeth can be matched with old dental records to identify a person. Blood spatter can explain how someone was shot.

Forensics is not for the faint-hearted. The blood, guts and gore of forensics are part of what attracted Weber State University student Heather Tezak to major in criminalistics.

"It was probably the blood. The blood patterns. You can tell (the type) of gun by splatter, the fine mist," she said.

That also may explain the popularity of the CBS show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," said Mitch Pilkington, an investigator with the Weber Metro Crime Scene Investigation Unit, which processes evidence for crimes in Ogden and surrounding areas.

"I really think people are kind of into the things that would typically be gory or unsuitable for television. If you do it for the name of science, then it's OK. Everyone's interested in the darker side of humanity," said Pilkington, also a graduate student who is comparing the TV program and real life for his master's project in criminal justice at Weber.

Since "CSI" debuted in 2000, the number of inquiries about Weber's criminalistics undergraduate program, the only one in Utah and one of the oldest in the United States, has increased, said James Gaskill, head of the program.

"I probably get a call or e-mail once a week," he said. Before the show, he received that many per month. Most prospective students shy away, however, when Gaskill informs them of the chemistry, biology and genetics courses needed for the degree.

In Gaskill's lower-division class, students are assigned to watch "CSI" and list 10 inaccuracies and five accuracies with the show, which is based on real-life situations.

"The single biggest complaint we have against (the show) is they do everything," from collecting evidence to interrogating suspects, he said. In reality, most crime scene investigators are civilian employees of police departments.

"The main reason I don't watch 'CSI' is they never mark or identify evidence. There's no paperwork. Their evidence would be thrown out in court" in the real world, Gaskill said.

Pilkington calls his master's project a "descriptive study" of the first 23 episodes of CSI. He also found several inaccuracies on TV. "There is no wait time. There is no paperwork. There are no budget constraints."

However, the technology the TV investigators use is accurate. "The technology does exist, but it's applied inaccurately," Pilkington said.