Real forensic scientists shake their heads at TV 'CSI' counterparts

SALT LAKE CITY — Sorenson Forensics Executive Director Tim Kupferschmid will turn on the TV every once in a while and watch crime shows with forensic labs, like "CSI."

But it's not because he expects he'll be inspired with a great new idea or watch something realistic.

"I watch them for the entertainment value," he said. "A lot of these things just don't happen in the real world. You don't identify DNA and then get a driver's license pop up (on a computer) and a GPS coordinate leading you to that person."

But because of popularity of shows like "CSI," Kupferschmid said he is asked by members of the public constantly about things that don't happen in real life.

"They find out what I do and say, 'That's so cool,' and they think it's so glamorous," he said.

The reality is being a forensic scientist can be very tedious and involve long hours of work.

Because of the many misconceptions about forensic scientists and DNA laboratories, Kupferschmid compiled a list of the Top 10 TV Crime Lab Myths. Topping the list is the idea that DNA can be gathered, tested and the results returned in a matter of hours.

"When they do their lab analysis, it seems instantaneous," Kupferschmid said.

In reality, the turnaround for analysis on a DNA case is two to five days. And that's if there isn't already a backlog in cases. But crime labs across the country are faced with huge backlogs, he said. Some labs have a 30- to 60-day waiting period before a case will even be looked at. For cases that aren't high profile or don't involve crimes against a person, the waiting list at some labs in the U.S. can be years, he said.

Another CSI myth is that the person who conducts the lab work also interrogates suspects, makes arrests and does police work.

"We don't go driving around in new Hummers and cruise the beaches in Miami," Kupferschmid said of his real life job.

Very rarely do you find forensic scientists today who are also certified law enforcers, he said.

"You wouldn't send someone to the police academy and then stick them in a lab. It would be a waste of their training. Just like you wouldn't send someone to be a scientist and then put them on the street for patrol," he said.

Another misconception: forensic scientists don't keep track of all their cases once they finish testing evidence.