Yellowknife (Apr 16/03) - They lift invisible footprints off clean tile floors, make a single speck of lint glow like a light bulb and read the complicated loops and whorls in fingerprints like a compelling novel.

Cpl. Ken Morrison shows a footprint recovered at the scene of a recent robbery. - Darren Stewart/NNSL photo

Cpl. Ken Morrison and Sgt. Spence Robertson run the RCMP forensic identification lab at the Yellowknife detachment and they provide a crucial role in bringing bad guys to justice.

Morrison said the job is very well portrayed on television shows like CSI.

"They glamorize it a bit, but for the most part that's what we do," he said.

The special investigators go out to major crime scenes with their cameras and high-tech toolkits and look for clues that would escape the untrained eye. Robertson said technology plays a big role in their ever-evolving jobs.

The job changes so fast all RCMP forensic specialists have to re-certify every two years.

"If somebody told me even six years ago that we wouldn't be using the darkroom by now I would have laughed at them," he said. "We used to spend so much time in there. Now everything is digital."

Photo enhancement, new chemicals and techniques and the advent of DNA analysis has made their role more effective over the past decade. Robert said these days crooks have a lot more to worry about than just wearing gloves and not leaving prints. A suspect needs only to speak out loud at a crime scene to leave a genetic trace.

"When you speak you spit traces of saliva which contains your DNA," he said.

They also have an $11,000 Lumilight spotlight with different filters that will illuminate a single fleck of lint, hair or fibre at a crime scene.

You'll see them in court

The pair also spend a lot of time giving testimony on the relevance of evidence and identification.

"It's one of those jobs where you absolutely cannot be wrong, you cannot make any mistakes. Your credibility is everything," said Morrison.

Sometimes technology changes so quickly the courts can't keep up. A researcher in Ottawa is working on a new technique called bare foot morphology that will actually match footprints to the structure of the wearer's bare foot. There is also new work being done on lifting fingerprints from the flesh of dead bodies. Evidence from these techniques is slowly making its way into the court room but is still very cutting edge, Morrison said.

"That's why we have to re-certify, things change so quickly," said Morrison.

School sparked interest

Morrison has a degree in sociology from the University of Saskatchewan and Robertson took forensic science in college in Lethbridge. Both say their fascination with the field was sparked by an early science class.

To become a forensic investigator for the RCMP you have to go through a four-year apprenticeship and a gruelling hands-on exam. You also have to argue evidence credibly before a mocked-up courtroom.

There are other RCMP labs in Hay River and Iqaluit. The labs are outfitted to do most forensic work but they have to ship evidence to the Edmonton lab for DNA analysis or very fine tests like matching a bullet to a gun.

Robertson said the job revolves around acute observation and patience, and he's seen guys spend several days comparing just one set of fingerprints.

"You have to be very sure," he said. "But when your evidence plays the key role for catching the bad guy, it's certainly gratifying."