Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (June 20/05) - Cpl. Gary Livingstone says people should not believe everything they see on TV.

Livingstone's real-life work at the Hay River RCMP's forensic identification unit is sometimes mixed up in people's minds with the make-believe world of the TV show 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' and its spin-offs.

Livingstone says there are plenty of differences.

"The major thing is they portray every scene as you're going to find something," he says, noting it just doesn't happen that way.

Livingstone says analysis and test results are much faster on TV than in real life.

For example, he says a fingerprint is quickly identified on 'CSI'. "It's almost like the guy's name is underneath his fingerprint."

If Livingstone can't match a fingerprint to a suspect locally, he sends it via the Internet to Ottawa for a search of a national database.

As for DNA analysis, he says that has to be done in Ottawa and is costly - in the $5,000 range. On 'CSI', DNA analysis seems to take a few hours at most.

The corporal says most of the laboratory tests seen on 'CSI' can be done by the RCMP, although most are done at five RCMP labs across Canada.

It can take months to get results from a search of the RCMP data base for matches on fingerprints or DNA samples, Livingstone said.

'CSI' looks more a self-contained lab, he says. "They're portrayed as lab experts."

Livingstone says the only lab work he does is mix chemicals to develop fingerprints on different materials.

There are two forensic identification units in the NWT. The other is in Yellowknife.

"We deal more with fingerprints than the stuff you see on the television shows," Livingstone says.

However, for major crimes, he may collect fibre, hair, blood and stains. "We don't do it at every scene."

The TV crime fighters don't ever seem to investigate run-of-the-mill crime, such as break and enters, he notes. "You don't see the more mundane stuff."

However, Livingstone understands that. "Who's going to put that on a television show?"

The equipment featured on 'CSI' is generally accurate, he notes.

However, there are some gadgets on the show he has never heard of. For example, one 'CSI' episode featured a machine that could supposedly collect a scent and pass it on to a search dog.

Livingstone, 51, says he occasionally watches 'CSI'. "I don't know if I am really a fan. It's interesting."