Every Contact Leaves a Trace: Crime Scene Experts Talk About Their Work, from Discovery Through Verdict

Real crime scene investigation is vastly more complicated, arduous, bizarre, and fascinating than TV's streamlined versions. Most people who work actual investigations will tell you that the science never lies -- but people can. They may also contaminate evidence, or not know what to look for in crime scenes that typically are far more chaotic and confusing, whether inside or outside, than on TV.

Forensic experts will tell you that the most important person entering a scene is the very firs...