Interesting and Fun Facts About Detective Shows Past and Present

The new forensic crime dramas are very different from the old detective shows. The forensic shows have a language all their own. At first, I would think "they said what?"

Maybe I have been watching too many crime shows on television, as I am beginning to understand all their abbreviations and acronyms.

For your viewing enjoyment, I am going to share those fun facts with you.

There a few quizzes to lighten the mood --just for fun.

For your viewing enjoyment a dictionary to translate what is being said on the crime fighting and forensic shows.

• AFIS - Automated Fingerprint Identification System. A system that has a database of fingerprints and automated search capabilities. Used by many local law enforcement groups. (See IAFIS)
• Amido Black 10B - is a dye that stains the proteins in blood and is used for finding latent finger prints.
• APB - All Points Bulletin
• BOLO - Be On the Look Out
• BPA - Bloodstain Pattern Analysis -- the way the blood at a crime is found (See LVIS, MVIS, HVIS)
• CAPS - Crimes Against Persons
• CODIS - stands for Combined DNA Index System. It is a national database, for federal, state and local DNA to be stored in.
• CSI - Crime Scene Investigator
• CSU - Crime Scene Unit
• DNA -Deoxyribonucleic acid- All living organisms have these "instructions" in them, in order to function. Often, on a TV show you will hear someone say "we got a hair but without the root, we can only test for mitochondrial DNA". This would be versus nuclear DNA.
• DOA - Dead on Arrival
• Epithelials - One of the four basic tissues -- others are connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. The epithelials are found in the glands and line some body cavities. There is always a joyous moment when they find epithelials, as they can now test for nuclear DNA.
• Genetian Violet - is a purple stain used for staining specimens in a lab for identification. It is also a topical antiseptic. For forensic purposes it many be used to enhance and bring out fingerprints from and item. For example: staining the sticky part of duct tape to bring out the fingerprints.
• GOA - Gone on arrival
• GSR - Gun Shot Residue --- the residue from the muzzle of a gun when it's fired. The further the bullet travels the less residue on the victim
• GSW - Gun shot wound
• I.A. -Internal Affairs. The group within the police department that investigates police conduct
• IAFIS - The FBI's automated database for fingerprints, mug shots and criminal profiles. It stands for Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. It is available to all law enforcement groups to search.
• ILR - Ignitable Liquid Residue - as in left from an arson fire
• Lands and Grooves - Lands are the raised areas between the grooves on a bullet. This makes a pattern connecting a particular bullet to a particular gun.
• LUDs - Local Usage Details - referring to telephone call usage
• Luminol- A chemical used by forensics to detect blood residue. It luminesces when it contacts the iron in the hemoglobin
• LVIS, MVIS, HVIS - Low Velocity Impact Splatter; Medium Velocity Impact Splatter; and High Velocity Impact Splatter. Bullets would cause HVIS.
• MO - Modus Operandi - mode of operating. The pattern the criminal follows
• Morpho - is the name of a company that has technologies for fingerprint, facial and iris identification. Thus, you will hear, on a forensic show, "we checked Morpho for the palm print".
• NORA - Nothing On Record Against
• OCME - Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• OU - Open Unsolved - cold case
• Perp- Perpetrator -- the person who committed the crime.
• Prussian Blue Test - Water, sodium hydroxide and ferrous sulphate are added to stomach contents and heated. If the mixture turns blue, it indicates the presence of cyanide.
• RHD - Robbery Homicide Division
• SHAMU- Black and white police car -- as in send a SHAMU
• SVU - Special Victims Unit
• Tache Noire- If the eyes remain open after death, after about 7 or 8 hours the pupils turn black.
• UC - Under Cover
• Unsub - Unkown Subject
• ViCAP - Violent Criminal Apprehension Program - Unit of the FBI responsible for the analysis of serial violent crimes.
• VIC - Victim
• VMD - Vacuum Metal Deposition - is a way of finding fingerprints on non-porous surfaces. One example the object being test is put in a tank and gold is evaporated which sticks to any prints. Then zinc is evaporated and stick to the gold showing the print.