Forensic Science: TV versus Reality

I have to confess that I truly do enjoy watching NCIS. The show though has one of the biggest errors that always causes me to cringe. When it comes to a forensic scientist working in a forensic science lab, one person can not do it all.

Please don’t start getting mad saying that I am a Abby Sciuto hatter. I am not. As a matter of fact I think that the role of Abby is one of the best parts of the show, even if she is a source of a glaring error.

In the real world an expert is typically and expert in one. A person maybe an expert in multiple areas if the fields are interrelated. In a forensic science lab, most experts only have expertise in one actual area. A finger print expert is just that, a guru of all things fingerprints. Likewise a DNA expert will focus their expertise on just DNA.

It takes to much time to become an expert in any one area of forensic science. By the time someone has all the education and practical work experience needed they would not desire a second field of expertise. Yet on TV the forensic scientists seem to be a DNA expert one week, the next week a ballistic expert and the week after that a computer forensics expert.

The education needed is also very different for each field of forensic science. A DNA expert will typically have a degree in Chemistry. A ballistics expert will have a background in physics. Working in computer forensics requires some formal training in computer science.

I realize that TV shows have a budget, so the fewer actors a show has the less the studios have to spend on payroll. Also it makes it easier for us the viewing public to remember who is who. An hour long drama cannot support all that many characters. So in the forensic science labs on TV a character like Abby will do it all.

If you missed part 1 of my TV versus Reality series please make sure to check it out.