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Fifteen years ago, I left Manhattan expecting that I would work as a forensic scientist.
But when I returned to New York in 2005, I was not a forensic scientist.
I was a writer, largely writing crime fiction and true crime.
None of them hired me.
Was it a boon to their work, or a hindrance?
They are thinking about post-conviction or coming up again for retrial.
You start thinking, What might I get later, analyzed 10 years down the road?
What if I look at the evidence again with new information?
These questions can keep you from looking at just what you have right now.
What Sekedat brings up is an offshoot of the well-discussed phenomenon known as the CSI Effect.
Thats simply not realistic.
Its not the science, its who is doing the science, he said.
These are useful techniques.
Its the people who are doing the work who are overextending themselves.
In many cases, they dont know any better.
They dont know limitations, and they dont know where to stop.
Bite marks are still an incredibly powerful tool.
There is nothing wrong with hair analysis.
Now when you have a DNA technician looking at hair, they just cut it in a tube.
Theyreach for outragewhen a more measured reporting approach is more accurate.
Sekedat described an example of this communication gap.
We were so disappointed when we read the article because he dissed trace evidence, Sekedat recalled.
I honestly canceled my subscription, thats how upset I was.
Sekedats experience made her understandably wary.
Dont venture to put your own spin on it, make it sound fun or sexy, she said.
But science, and forensic science, should be more neutral, and thus more nuanced.
Ristenbatt expressed pessimism that the divide can be smoothed over: Its been this way since 1987.
It hasnt gotten better, its gotten worse.
Criminalists who start with science and know a lot about many forensic disciplines are few and far between.
You only hear about the bad stuff, not the good success stories.
