TV Oversimplifies Criminal Investigations, Officials Say By Austin L. Miller, Staff Writer February 22, 2009 Return to Current Events

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As investigators searching for Haleigh Cummings might attest, art does not necessarily imitate life when it comes to solving crime. Modern TV crime shows, experts say, often leave the public with distorted, oversimplified views of how complex criminal investigations unfold. Sometimes, victims and the public demand the sort of unrealistically swift justice that is meted out in 60 minutes during prime time. And amateur sleuths, taking their cues from Hollywood detectives, often develop their own theories of how crimes occur.

Sometimes, victims and the public demand the sort of unrealistically swift justice that is meted out in 60 minutes during prime time. And amateur sleuths, taking their cues from Hollywood detectives, often develop their own theories of how crimes occur. What the public often doesn't understand, criminologists say, is that solving a crime is a process that requires time, teamwork and painstaking detail work like investigators are investing in the Haleigh case. In the days since she disappeared, thousands of man hours have been spent by multiple agencies conducting interviews, chasing leads and evaluating evidence.

Over the years, popular shows such as "Perry Mason," "Kojak" and "Hawaii Five O" have been replaced by hipper, more sophisticated programs such as "CSI," "NCIS" and "The Closer." Many of the shows rely on cutting-edge technology as well as solid police work. Sometimes, victims and the public demand the sort of unrealistically swift justice that is meted out in 60 minutes during prime time. And amateur sleuths, taking their cues from Hollywood detectives, often develop their own theories of how crimes occur.

What the public often doesn't understand, criminologists say, is that solving a crime is a process that requires time, teamwork and painstaking detail work like investigators are investing in the Haleigh case. In the days since she disappeared, thousands of man hours have been spent by multiple agencies conducting interviews, chasing leads and evaluating evidence.

Over the years, popular shows such as "Perry Mason," "Kojak" and "Hawaii Five O" have been replaced by hipper, more sophisticated programs such as "CSI," "NCIS" and "The Closer." Many of the shows rely on cutting-edge technology as well as solid police work.

Vernon J. Geberth, president of PHI Investigative Consultants Inc. and a former Bronx Homicide Task Force commanding officer for the New York City Police Department, said programs like "CSI" have made law enforcement jobs increasingly difficult. He said because everything is done so quickly on television, real-life detectives are pressured by the public to do everything at high speed as well.

Geberth recently presented a two-day seminar titled "Practical Homicide Investigation for First Responders and the Preliminary Scene Investigation" in Ocala. He said the newer crime shows have given the public a false sense of their own knowledge about how crimes are investigated. In some cases, jurors who follow false notions of investigative techniques have challenged prosecutors about why certain evidence wasn't collected or why they didn't investigate a certain lead. And, in some instances, detectives have come across crime scenes contaminated by people based on what they saw on television.

Geberth said less than 1 percent of cases worked by detectives are crimes that shock the population. "These programs tend to show the most salacious crimes for the viewers," he said.

Capt. Lester Revels, who is in charge of the Ocala Police Department Investigative Bureau, said the TV crime shows can affect how his team does its job." People watching it pick up on what police look for, for example, what evidence they're particularly interested in and what questions they ask," Revels said. Sgt. Angy Scroble, a former detective who was a member of several investigative homicide teams and now is the public information officer for the Ocala Police Department, said piecing together a crime is not as simple as it looks on television.

She said detectives have to be thorough in their investigations, and every step has to be documented to include any statements given, witnesses, autopsy reports and other detailed information.

"You want to be thorough and accurate because you don't want to lose your case on a technicality," Scroble said.

And sometimes, others want to help solve the case.

Capt. Jimmy Pogue, spokesman for the Marion County Sheriff's Office and a former detective, said detectives have encountered instances in which friends or relatives of victims have made suggestions about what direction the investigation should take and who they believe may be a suspect.

"In their minds, they're already working the case to the best of their abilities because they want to solve the case," Pogue said.

Not all crime programs are unrealistic, experts concede.

Geberth likes "The First 48" because it shows how the crime is being investigated, and you see the interaction between the suspect and detectives.

Revels likes "Law & Order" because viewers see how the investigation unfolds, from the police officer arriving on scene to them informing detectives what they have, to how the evidence is collected and processed, to how lawyers on both sides handle the cases.

"No one person does the whole thing," he said.

A case that required a great deal of teamwork was the brutal shooting deaths of Santa Fe Community College students Amber Peck and John Parker in the Ocala National Forest a little more than three years ago. Leo Boatman, now 22, is serving two life sentences for the murders.

More than 180 law enforcement officials - including the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement - were involved in the case.

Having that many people and personalities involved required a great deal of coordination and teamwork, which does mirror how crime shows often play out on television.

"We operated on a theory that is 'me to we,' which means, it's about a team effort in solving the case," said Maj. Chris Blair, head of the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Bureau.

That case was solved in three days.

Blair hopes the techniques and quick turnaround seen in shows such as "CSI" will one day be available in real life.

"I hope we will be able to do what they do and get the results back as quickly as they do," he said.

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