LONGVIEW (KYTX) -- You've seen them in the movies and on TV - crime scene investigators who solve complicated cases in an hour or two. But, in real life, it's different. As CBS 19's Abby Broyles shows us, the Texas Rangers have a specialized task force dedicated to solving those crimes. It's "The Real CSI" in tonight's CBS 19 special report.
The major crime scene team is a group of six Texas Rangers who specialize in working crime scenes all across east Texas, whether it's an armed robbery or a homicide. It's their job to help local law enforcement agencies investigate crimes – and solve them.
"CSI is very entertaining and has definitely brought crime scene investigation to the forefront, in the public eye," Ranger Rudy Flores said.
What most Americans know about crime scene investigation, they get from TV and movies - fictional crimes, solved in fictional time frames. But for some investigators in East Texas – the crime scenes are real.
Rudy Flores has been a Texas ranger for more than 16 years – he's worked more than 100 homicides.
"The entire criminal investigation process is the collection of information, that information is going to come from various sources, it's gonna come from the initial call, what got us there, a 911 call, a neighbor, a passerby, did someone flag an officer down, it's gonna come from that initial officer, what did he see, experience or hear?" Ranger Flores said.
The Texas Rangers help smaller police departments and sheriff's offices that might not have the tools or training to work a major crime scene.
Ranger Brent Davis is stationed in Tyler.
"Say if you have a big murder scene, they could have their investigators running down leads talking to witnesses, things like that, and we can handle the crime scene for them, so it frees up some of their personnel," Ranger Davis said.
Each of the six Rangers on the team has his own unique training. They can work quickly and efficiently.
"When we come to a scene, we divide it up, divide and conquer, more or less. Some folks will start doing photography, while others start documenting what evidence we have at the scene that's going to need to be collected," Ranger Davis said.
That can be anything from dusting for fingerprints to scouring for shell casings, even pinpointing where a shooter was standing.
But there's no surer way to put someone at a crime scene than they're DNA, that's why investigators are always trying to collect DNA evidence at the scene - and all they need is sterile water, a sterile swab and a collection envelope.
"Collecting DNA evidence within the crime scene itself is going to come from where someone has touched, they may leave a trace, the shedding of epithelial skin cells, it may also come from biological fluids such as saliva or blood left at the crime scene," Ranger Flores said.
Processing that evidence is where Ranger Flores says Hollywood doesn't quite get it right.
"I think where it crosses into fiction is where the television show is able to get on scene rapid results, able to get DNA or forensic results within minutes, and that's not the truth.. those are tedious painstaking very technical procedures conducted by forensic scientists at our laboratories and take hours if not days sometimes," Ranger Flores said.
Solid witnesses are also important, but they don't always remember details. That's when a certified hypnotist is called in.
"It helps them recall the detail. That might be a vehicle description, a number, a physical description of a suspect, or a sequence of events they might have witnessed, particularly if time has lapsed, that helps them relax and better recall those events," Ranger Flores said.
In any case, the Rangers say crimes are solved with good information - carefully collected evidence and warrants for searches and arrests - critical steps on the path to justice.
"The Rangers as a whole, we get satisfaction out of doing our job, doing something that helps other people," Ranger Flores said.
The crime scene investigation trailer we showed you in our story is new to the Rangers – it was actually taken from a drug trafficker about a year ago. They pay to keep it up with funding from local district attorneys offices and seized drug money.
The Rangers' major crime scene team is the first task force of its kind in East Texas. Those investigators can be called out at anytime to 42 counties in Texas, from Harrison County to Palo Pinto County.
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