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Leaving no stone unturned

By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
Friday, August 8, 2008 5:22 PM EDT

NILES - Crime Scene Technicians Kevin Kosten, of the Niles City Police Department and Trooper Rob Herbstreith of the Michigan State Police know they can't avoid the 'CSI' angle of their jobs.

But far from Hollywood, a closer look at the work done by these officers - the only two from separate departments to share an office at the Law Enforcement Complex at 1600 Silverbrook in Niles - exposes a job rooted in patience, persistence and problem solving.

And it takes a little longer than just a 48-minute episode (minus commercials).

Collecting evidence to a certain degree is something most police officers are trained to do. However, "if it's a major crime scene - or if it requires some kind of specialized training," said Kosten. "Then I get called out."

Kosten and Herbstreith recreate each step, playing out each moment in their minds, carefully collecting, evaluating and processing evidence from fingerprints and DNA to fibers and fluids.

There are similarities between Gil Grissom of the fictional television show and the men down at the Niles LEC. Each take special care in collecting evidence, following the chain of command and ensuring proper storage of it all.

And there are the cool pieces of equipment.

Inside the lab at the LEC, there are a variety of powders, including magnetic and florescent that officers use to coat items for prints. A Polilight uses a variety of different colored, ultra-violet lights to draw out prints, fibers and fluids of off anything from clothes to knives and lighters - and a special chamber for drying bloody clothes.

A special heating chamber in which Herbstreith or Kosten will place a piece of evidence, as well as a small amount of glue. Adding a certain degree of humidity, the glue heats up, evaporates and collects on the piece of evidence (such as a pop can or cigarette lighter) in the form of a white residue. That white residue outlines fingerprints that can be lifted from the item. Using the method - even prints off the sticky side of a piece of tape can be lifted, Kosten said.

And there are the creative methods. Using a special chemical and an old iron, Herbstreith and Kosten are able to locate prints off a piece of standard white paper. The heat and the steam from the iron - combined with the chemical reveals the prints - as they stand out against the white, appearing in shade of magenta.

"The timeline is Hollywood," Kosten said.

Herbstreith said that even the simplest of scenes could take them two hours or so to survey.

"This is a job that's not for anybody," said Herbstreith. "I mean the patience ..." Regardless of how cut and dry the situation might be said Kosten, "the integrity of the evidence is extremely important."

And it's painstaking.

"It's a puzzle. It's a puzzle that we have to put together," Herbstreith said. "It's almost like it's enticing me to figure it out," Kosten said. "Daring us to solve the crime," added Herbstreith. He and Kosten spend hours, analyzing evidence, sometimes clad in Hazmat garb. It can make for a challenging day - being certain not to cause any cross contamination of the evidence they're collecting. "We're even mindful of when we have to sneeze or cough," Kosten said. Either of those could contaminate evidence, leading an attorney to reach reasonable doubt with a jury, allowing for the possible freedom of a guilty criminal.

Of course Kosten and Herbstreith have had to undergo special training. Kosten said he attended Evidence Technical School at the State Police crime lab in Grand Rapids, but it is also a presence of mind. As they come up with one situation after another, the officers point out elements of a crime scene that is not only considered evidence - but might not occur to someone outside the profession. Deductive reasoning that could lead to putting bad guys behind bars. As crime scene technicians, Herbstreith and Kosten are skilled in blood spatter, bullet trajectory, photography, fingerprinting, DNA, casting and impressions as well as the ability to analyze a scene from every angle.

Including the Hollywood angle.

Enthusiasm of the public surrounding the aspects of forensic science has increased since the premier of CSI. But for officers like Herbstreith and Kosten - that means a lot of people thinking that DNA results can be turned around in an hour. While the technological advances have allowed law enforcement agencies to revive and even solve cold cases long left unsolved -"One blood drop could solve a crime," Herbstreith said - it does take time.

And they're doing more than just solving crimes -they're educating students. Both Kosten and Herbstreith go to the classrooms of Niles to teach kids about what they do.

With the equipment and expertise, "we're running out of a perfect crime," Herbstreith added. Words that sound like something out of a Hollywood script.

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