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.

• ABHAN - Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature
• ACISS - Augmented Criminal Investigation Support System - A database of a vast amount of information searchable in criminal investigations.
• 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
• B & E - Breaking and Entry
• BAU - Behavioral Analyst Unit
• 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
• CBP - Customs and Border Patrol
• CID - Criminal Investigation Department
• CO - Corrections Officer
• 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
• CUPPI - (rhymes with puppy) - Cause Undetermined Pending Police Investigation
• 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
• ELISA -Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay- Used to test if certain anti-bodies are present in the blood.
• EIA - Is the same as ELISA
• Epithelial - One of the four basic tissues -- others are connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. The epithelial cells are found in the glands and line some body cavities. There is always a joyous moment when they find epithelial cells, as they can now test for nuclear DNA.
• FTIR -Fourier Transfer Infrared spectroscopy - is an analytical technique used to identify inorganic, polymeric, and in some cases, organic material.
• Gentian 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
• HSI - Homeland Security Investigations
• 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.
• ICP Test - Inductively Coupled Plasma - used to detect metals and some non-metals. For crime purposes, to test for heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury.
• 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.
• LIBS- Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy- High speed chemical analysis process
• LNU - Last Name Unknown - Used in courts when a person's name is not known. It is the court version of John Doe.
• 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.
• LWOP - Life Without Parole
• 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".
• M-Vac - Is a copyrighted name of a system used to collect DNA on surfaces where it was previously difficult to collect.
• NCIC - National Crime Information Center - A national database that alerts law enforcement about missing people, stolen merchandise and automobiles.
• NORA - Nothing On Record Against
• OCME - Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• OU - Open Unsolved - cold case
• PCR - Polymerase Chain Reaction - is a method used when a DNA sample is small. It amplifies the sample.
• 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.
• RAPD-Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA - DNA fragments amplified by PCR
• RCMP - Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• RFLP_ Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism analysis- DNA sample broken into pieces
• RHD - Robbery Homicide Division
• RIA - Radio immuno assay - a method used to the blood (for drugs)
• SHAMU- Black and white police car -- as in send a SHAMU
• SOCO - Scene Of the Crime Officer
• SVU - Special Victims Unit
• SWAT - Special Weapons And Tactics
• Tache Noire- If the eyes remain open after death, after about 7 or 8 hours the pupils turn black.
• TEU - Tactical Enforcement Unit - The name given to Colorado's SWAT team.
• UC - Under Cover
• UFAP - Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution
• Unsub - Unknown Subject
• ViCAP - Violent Criminal Apprehension Program - Unit of the FBI responsible for the analysis of serial violent crimes. Crime scene data and relevant facts are entered into a database and other similar crimes across the country are matched to it.
• 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.
• XRF -X-Ray Fluorescence - is a non-destructive analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of materials.