What is the difference between real life Forensic Scientists and the tv ones?

Answer 1

The ones I see on TV are better-dressed and better-looking than the ones I meet in real life. The labs are amazing on TV, as opposed to actual working labs, and all the technicians are able to perform all the tests, which is not the case in real life. Most forensic scientists are also not trained and sworn law enforcement officers, so they wouldn't be able to make arrests even if they happened to encounter the bad guys. That is not the case here in North Carolina, however; our SBA forensic scientists are all sworn officers, as well--when are we going to see CSI: Raleigh?

Answer 2

I think it's important to make a slight distinction between a "forensic scientist" and a "crime scene investigator" in order for this to make better sense. TV shows like CSI portray sworn officers who respond to and process crime scenes. In real life we don't have time to interview suspects or witnesses or conduct follow-ups to an investigation. We are focused strictly on the evidence collection and processing. The latter is usually limited based on the resources of a department. My unit handles fingerprint processing as well as the collection of other impression evidence (footwear, tire tracks, tool marks, etc). We conduct our own marijuana identification thanks to a training course provided by the state, but we don't have the budget, equipment or training (read Master's degree or higher) to perform our own DNA analysis, or other chemical processing such as mass spectrometry or anything of the sort. This type of evidence processing is forwarded to our state forensic lab. Their scientists rarely (very rarely) come out to a scene. Their focus is strictly lab work. (and they're very good at it). In the event they are absolutely needed at a crime scene, be it because it's a major case or highly technical in nature, they do have the ability to respond to a crime scene. That's the exception and not the rule though. The other major difference is that we are sworn law enforcement officers, while the forensic scientists at the state level are considered civilian employees and have no arrest powers.
For the most part, the science behind the TV shows is correct as is the equipment (albeit with some differences). A fingerprint identification system doesn't flash images of prints searching for a match, it returns a list of possible candidates that still have to be compared by a living, breathing person and verified by another certified examiner before being considered a match.

Answer 3

People working in real forensic labs, do not have the time chasing the criminals too... and most of the technology used in CSI is fiction. But working in forensic lab is never boring...

Answer 4

A lot of TV shows have them actively chasing down the bad guys and running investigations. In real live their roles tend to be more limited to evidence gathering and analysis.

Answer 5

the time it takes for analysis of samples. in the real world, sample analysis takes days to weeks to get a final analysis, rather than minutes.