The real-life crime solvers: Sheriff’s forensic lab offering public tours

Back by popular demand, it’s the first time in at least two years the real-life crime scene investigators have hosted a Halloween-themed tour of what it takes to crack a case. And while working at the lab isn’t quite like Hollywood’s portrayal in popular shows such as CSI, it sure is intriguing and rewarding, said Alex Karagianes, laboratory director and quality assurance manager.

Several hundred people were expected to visit for the tours offered every 10 minutes and ultimately, the goal is to encourage children to excel in school, Karagianes said.

“Halloween is a good time to do it and we have some fun with it,” Karagianes said while walking through the facility adorned with elaborate decorations. “We hope people bring their kids and we want to get them into science.”

Melissa Vergara brought her two sons and their friend to Thursday’s tour and noted “they literally said, ‘this is the best day of my life!’”

Completely infatuated with the lab’s extensive gun collection and learning about ballistics, the boys were thrilled at the end of the tour’s mock crime scene where they flexed the skills they’d just learned.

“It was awesome!” said 10-year-old Isaac Vergara. “How they did the evidence and even if you cut your finger, you’d still have a fingerprint.”

Intricate work

The in-depth tour only scratches the surface of what truly goes into processing evidence, solving crimes and making sure the investigation holds up in court. The lab follows extensive international protocol such as regularly having outside experts check equipment like breathalyzers, scales and even rulers. There’s also extensive internal oversight with findings undergoing technical, administrative, quality and peer reviews before being approved, Karagianes said.

The folks at the lab must be meticulous at their jobs, particularly as they’re tasked with solving or gathering evidence from homicides, aggressive assaults and sex crimes.

“We do honestly take people’s civil liberties seriously. Taking someone’s freedom, a civil liberty, away is a big deal. We actually exonerate more people than we identify,” Karagianes said. “Justice is justice. It’s like a disease, misdiagnosing doesn’t help anyone.”

Karagianes said although he originally wanted to be a dentist, knowing people who were victims and working in forensics solidified his career.

“What really drew me, it was the sexual assault crimes and child molestations. Just because of the social nature of it and really wanting to do some good. … You’re using science to help,” Karagianes said.

Many other employees share Karagianes’ sentiment.

Already retired from working as a lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office, Jack Krimmer was asked to help design the facility completed in 2003. Having always had a passion for firearms, Krimmer wasn’t ready to leave by the time building was completed. The FBI certified firearms instructor is now a senior ballistics technician.

“It’s important. These are cases that deal with people either nearly injured or injured or killed. And if we can put together evidence that puts somebody who committed one of these crimes behind bars so that they can’t hurt anyone else, I think that’s something very worthwhile,” Krimmer said.

Advanced technology and national databases have completely changed the world of solving crimes, said Krimmer and Karagianes, who helped design the state-of-the-art facility that won multiple awards as one of the first green-built crime labs in the country to be incorporate sustainable features.

Aspiring to work in a crime lab requires extensive training, particularly as investigators’ work is heavily scrutinized when it’s time to go to court.

Investigating about 30 homicides a year, no single case is the same, Karagianes said.

Even after school, fingerprint analysts typically go through another 18 months to two years of training and supervision. Nurturing careers is a priority at the center and the county’s lab is one of the few in the area to offer extensive internships for recent college graduates who have a passion for applying their backgrounds in biology, chemistry and forensic science.

Hands-on experience

Typically, the county’s lab takes on about five interns a year and recent data showed 98 percent went on to careers in the field, Karagianes said.

Forensic specialist Katie Lassiter helped promote the internship program and noted the value of providing students with hands-on experience in a field that applies science in very concrete ways.

“There’s all different types of sciences in this laboratory, so it’s really cool for them to come in and either work in the DNA unit, or the drug unit or the fingerprint unit. So there’s lots of different disciplines that they can chose,” Lassiter said.

Plus, there’s no such thing as a typical day at the lab, said Lassiter who was on call to respond to any crime scenes Thursday. She typically focuses on fingerprint analysis, but all of the investigators have experience in multiple specialties at the laboratory that offers in-house training.

“Two of us go out at a time,” Lassiter said in recalling one of her favorite parts of the job. “Say there’s a homicide in Daly City, we get in the van and we go and take all the photographs, do the diagrams, take all the evidence collection, bloodstain pattern interpretation and trajectory. We’re all trained.”

Dressed in spooky costumes but marked by friendly faces, staff and the interns at the Sheriff’s Office Forensic Laboratory will continue offering tours Friday.

“It’s to show the community the extent of what we do,” Lassiter said. “It’s not like CSI, it’s not like TV; there’s a lot more to it. It’s a lot more time consuming. But it’s fun and we all really love what we do.”

The open house runs 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at 50 Tower Road, San Mateo. Call (650) 312-5306 for more information.

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106