PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Above: Old Bridge Police Detective Bryan Doel describes the key ingredients of a crime scene investigation to his audience at the township’s public library Aug. 30. Left: Doel shows an example of the forensic science used to look at evidence. OLD BRIDGE – Fans of “CSI” got to meet a real investigator of crime scenes in their own town last week at the Old Bridge Public Library.
Detective Bryan Doel of the Old Bridge Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit had the rapt attention of about 50 people Aug. 30 as he explained the inner workings of his forensic team.
“We call it the ‘CSI’ effect. People think we can solve crimes in an hour,” Doel said, explaining the influence of television police dramas on the expectations of the public.
While many of the procedures might be similar to those seen on TV, most municipalities like Old Bridge do not have the technology necessary to process all the evidence they gather. Much of it is sent out to the state police or special labs, and it can take while to get the results back.
“It can take six to eight months for routine fingerprint checks, and I recently received the DNA results I requested in March of 2006,” Doel said.
Local departments also do not have the same manpower as the shows on TV, where there seems to be an expert for every aspect of evidence gathering. The Old Bridge unit consists of two detectives and a sergeant, each of whom must have a broad range of expertise.
Doel used a PowerPoint presentation to explain some of the basics of evidence gathering and the steps he follows when he arrives at a crime scene. The work painstaking, and Doel must be meticulous in how he gathers and organizes evidence.
“If I make any mistakes, I lose my credibility. Then I won’t be considered an expert and they might even look back at other cases where I testified,” he said.
Doel revealed some of the tricks of the trade, explaining how he used a flashlight to photograph a car accident at night, the impact of crazy glue on fingerprints, and how to make a cast of a footprint embedded in the snow.
“You have to read the evidence to figure out how a crime happens. Crime scenes are a big jigsaw puzzle, you have to know where the pieces fit,” he said.
Doel had his photography kit, fingerprinting and plaster kit on hand and demonstrated how some of the tools were used. He explained why he took photos of a scene from a distance, midpoint and closeup.
“I want to give people the feeling that they are walking onto the scene themselves,” he said.
Audience members had different reasons for coming to the presentation.
“I came here because I really like the show ‘CSI,’” said Kathy Himics, of Old Bridge, who is starting eighth grade Jonas Salk Middle School.
Mary Kelly, a former special education teacher from Sayreville, felt the same way.
“I love the logic of these shows, and [Doel] was great, really fascinating,” she said.
Crista Fordham, of Old Bridge, who attended the event with her mother, had her own agenda.
“I’m a writer and I’m thinking of writing a mystery novel,” Fordham said.
Another attendee, Erin Marucci, said she is thinking about going into forensic accounting.
“I really wanted to see what this was all about,” she said.
“This was really informative and interesting,” said Old Bridge resident David Honoski, who asked several questions during the talk.
Doel has been with the Old Bridge Police Department for 14 years and has been with the crime scene unit for three. He trains other police officers in investigative techniques.
“This is the first time we have had him here but it went great,” said Allan Kleiman, assistant director of the library. “We really want to have him back.”