11.15 Sebastopol CSI: Crime Science - by Dennis E. Colthurst, Forensic Investigator

Review:

Thursday night just passed brought us Dennis Colthurst, forensic investigator for the Sebastopol Police Department. The turnout was surprisingly large, given the number of known felons in the audience that night. Perhaps they wanted to get a few tips on how to avoid the long arm of the law. Moreover, Dennis did not disappoint. He talked about not only the ins and outs of fingerprinting and other aspects of forensic science but also the ups and downs of the psychological aspects of law
enforcement. For example, he gave his view that justice was served when OJ Simpson was set free because the jury pronounced him innocent - in our system the jury's say decides what justice is. But he was quick to ask the audience a rhetorical question, "But how many people believed he was innocent?" Our resident wag quickly piped up, "Twelve!"

Colthurst not only gave an overview of the science and technology of the many tools available to law enforcement but how young most of it is (except fingerprinting, which is over a century old.) He talked about how much of this innovation originated in California. He asked why that is. I guessed because we need it keep an eye on all the politicians, but he says no, its all the science industry here. In
addition, the government agency most responsible for these technical advances is NASA. When asked how many of the audience had never seen an episode of "CSI" on television about half raised their hands. So how can Sebastopudlians be so hip and still be so well informed?

Science Buzz Cafe # 22 with Dennis E. Colthurst, November 15th, 2007

Science Buzz Cafe # 22 with Dennis E. Colthurst, November 15th, 2007

Preview:

Sebastopol CSI! This coming Thursday, November 15, the Science Buzz Cafe will bring you an arresting speaker in the form of Dennis Colthurst, Forensic investigator for the Sebastopol Police Department. While his specialty is fingerprint science over at the old cop shop, he assures us we need not wipe our cups clean after our evening at Coffee Cats. The CSI series on television is a bighit but the fantasy that is the staple of the show, for example, machines that one feeds with a hair
follicle and 10 minutes later out pops the guys DNA complete with color photo and the perp's fingerprints, is not available to Sebastopol. Yet. However, you still need to worry about the microphone and transmitter in your smoke detector.