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A jury in a murder case is reviewing a surveillance video. The footage, taken from a mom-and-pop convenience store, is a grainy black and white the tape is almost as old as the camera and theres no audio.
As the jury members watch, they can see the face of the victim and can tell hes being shot. Its harder, however, to figure out who pulled the trigger. Dressed in baggy clothes, the criminals face is obscured by his Yankees hat. As he leaves the store, his image is reflected in the glass of several beverage cases, but he never faces the camera.
If only they could zoom in on that reflection, thinks Juror number 5, this would be an open and shut case.
I mean, didnt Grissom nail somebody by doing that on CSI?
Defining Trends
Is this an overly dramatic scenario? Possibly, but it illustrates a new trend: the CSI factor. In the world of justice, the CSI factor refers to the effect that todays cop shows have on the publics perception of law enforcement and the technological tools they use. People who watch these shows tend to think current technology can do more than it really can and may be disappointed when confronted with reality.
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On the mainstream TV shows ... virtually all references to video surveillance or photographic evidence incorporates made-up technology, said Paul Hartzell, digital evidence specialist, Hennepin County (MN) Attorneys Office. I am a big fan of these shows, but as soon as the question gets asked, Was there surveillance video? I cringe. The phrase Can you enhance that? is the gateway into seeing through brick walls, zooming in to see phone numbers on cell phones, or identifying objects off in the horizon.
There is no malice on the part of Hollywood when creating these storylines. Accuracy is extremely important, said Josh Berman, co-executive producer, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. We will often take liberties with the graphics, but the scientific principles behind the graphic imagery are real. For example, we might show a three dimensional map on a computer monitor. In reality, it may be just a 2-D map.
We will enhance colors for visual impact, he continued. We will often condense time ... it might take minutes for a graphic to load in real life, but we load it instantaneously. Just like a legal program solves a case in one hour, we need to speed up the science.
Fast science, along with compelling storylines and attractive actors, draw a broad audience, so these shows arent going away any time soon. So how does a law enforcement agency deal with the CSI factor?
By working with not against the media.
Altering Perceptions
Ten years ago, the Central Intelligence Agency asked former covert operations officer Chase Brandon to take on the role of film industry liaison in its Office of Public Affairs. Charged with the task of reforming the CIAs image of this negative, Machiavellian conspiratorial organization full of trench coat wearing, suspicious people who assassinated folks, Brandon did the first thing he could think of he opened the CIAs doors to Tinsel Town.
I let this place sell itself, said Brandon. Most people given an invitation to come here certainly would do it once, just out of curiosity. And, literally, every single person who has ever been here and has felt the palpable sense of purpose that hangs in the air.
I invite them to come, let them see it, and then have them understand that the real stories about the real men and women are more gripping and compelling than the fictional things are.
Brandon does more than act as tour guide; he works actively with television and filmmakers. In addition to working with writers to develop accurate depictions of the CIA, Brandon creates totally realistic but not actualistic technical collection capabilities for the action hero, the CIA organization in the film, that agency-like organization in the movie. That way, Hollywood gets closer to the real thing, but trade secrets remain safe and sound.
When CBSs Navy NCIS needed advice for its Terminal Leave episode, it contacted Sam Burgiss, director of product development at Signalscape. In addition to asking Burgiss for technical input, the writers had one of the shows characters, NCIS Special Agent Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon), use Signalscapes video enhancement product, StarWitness Video Pro, to analyze degraded video.
Burgiss was asked about some of the most common video degradation issues and the techniques used to solve them. The one thing I was tried to tell them was not to zoom in 50 times and then have all the detail pop up, because thats completely unrealistic, he said. I was glad they didnt do that.
In an effort to keep video depictions accurate, some shows will hire experienced consultants. HBOs The Wire, which is widely regarded as the show that most accurately depicts law enforcement, owes much of its credibility to the work of Tom Farmer, the shows film electronics coordinator.
When the opportunity came to work on The Wire, said Farmer, I would go out and find the real technology used in enforcement or investigation [and] talk to the providers about the material. Sometimes, early on, we didnt have very good luck because a) they didnt want to talk to us,
b) they didnt trust us, and c) they saw the downside more than the upside.
Realistic Expectations
Many agencies are reluctant to work with television or film crews. Hartzell noted that among the concerns is that the popularity of these shows [leads] to a jury pool of the misled. Its hard enough to convince the attorneys or investigators working a case that we cant zoom in to increase detail, and then rely on them to explain it to the jury. If a juror is expecting something flashy and exciting, they will be disappointed.
Even with the best tools, the best training, and years of seasoned experience, you are still stuck with a finite number of pixels. This is the reality that the public doesnt understand. CSI and other crime shows pick up where reality leaves off and exploit the fact that most people believe what they see.
Added Farmer, As popular as shows like CSI are, I think they create undue burdens on some investigative agencies and prosecutors, because they have to come up with something that is beyond what they can do or doesnt exist. Like, Well get that fingerprint off the inside of the eyeball!
But aiding Hollywood isnt all bad; in fact, there are a number of benefits to working with the media. [If] criminals actually believe we can see anything we want to, said Hartzell, they end up confessing.
In addition, Grant Fredricks, manager of Avid Technologys Public Safety Video Solutions, forensic video analyst, and former police officer, sees a potential technological renaissance for agencies that are willing to let themselves be open to Hollywood. This is entertainment television and it really needs to push the boundaries of the technology as part of the entertainment genre, he explained. When the boundaries are pushed, sometimes it provokes ... law enforcement experts and possibly technology companies to see if it can get there. As the broadcast and security industries move to high resolution images such as HD, some of the things were seeing right now on these entertainment science programs will one day be reality.
Public awareness of agencies isnt necessarily a bad thing if people think what youre doing is important, its then easier to get more resources allocated to your work. At state and local levels, they struggle for everything they get, said Farmer. Somebody whos doing forensic video analysis ... hell have to do crime scene analysis, hell have to answer the phones, hell have to do everything.
I think raising the level of consciousness for any of this type of technology helps in the higher level of these agencies, he continued, because then you get people who are willing to understand what this technology will do. And people are more willing to finance an agency whose work they understand and see as important.
Another benefit of the CSI factor is the sudden flourishing of forensic video seminars. CSI has spawned hundreds of forensic education programs around the country, providing better training, giving opportunity for law enforcement agencies to be better equipped and hire better skilled people moving into the industry, said Fredricks. If you look at the number of forensic programs offered in universities three years ago, its probably half or a quarter of whats being offered today. Really, youre getting a much broader group of potential scientists from which to draw to produce a better lab environment to better serve your community.
In the end, no agency can completely control how its technology is portrayed on TV or in the movies. But if there is an opportunity to help shape that perception, take it.
I think most people in this country believe what they believe, have perceptions that they hold, and recite facts and figures that they think represent truth, said Brandon, not as a by-product of doing research or contemplative thought, but from one of two sources: the little screen in your family room or the big screen in your local cineplex.
If hes right, theres no reason that your agency cant benefit from that very public image. You just have to be willing to work with Hollywood.
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