CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS: WHO ARE THEY? NEW CLASS GIVES STUDENTS A CLUE.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Under the cover of night, the ``investigators'' comb a darkened parking lot for clues.

In notebooks, they sketch out the scene the way it has been left for them: a spray can, a footprint, a body.

Don't touch it, they are told. Don't solve it. Just record it.

For the more than two dozen high school students in instructor John Mundell's crime scene investigation class, the exercise exposes the truths about a profession made glamorous in recent years by television.

It's about documentation and paperwork - lots of it, as opposed to fast cars and high-tech equipment, solving a crime and catching a murderer in less than 45 minutes.

``It can be a little boring,'' said Randee McCracken, 16.

``It's way more serious,'' Monique Demers agreed.

When the students first sign up to take Mundell's after-school Regional Occupational Program class, offered through the William S. Hart Union High School District, separating the perception of what a crime scene investigator does from the reality is like splitting hairs. Thanks to ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' on CBS, shot in various locations across Santa Clarita, and its spinoffs ``CSI: Miami'' and ``CSI: NY,'' crime scene investigation has become a sexy, almost alluring career to many.

But, after several weeks of sitting through the class, many realize the profession is more about learning how to document and process reports. And for some, that is the most valuable lesson.

``In this class, a lot of people probably won't go into (crime scene investigations),'' said Ashlee Pierce, 17. ``After this class, you realize there's too many details.''

Because of the TV crime dramas, colleges and universities are attracting more students into classes dealing with science and forensics. But that isn't exactly good news, say some.

``I'm hearing about the trend in more people signing up because of the shows, but there's a multitude of problems,'' said Hayden Baldwin, executive director of the Illinois-based International Crime Scene Investigators Association.

``Most CSIs are sworn police officers,'' Baldwin said. ``There are civilian CSIs, but, out of 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the nation, more than 95 percent of the agencies do not have a crime scene investigations unit. That means there's no job market. The shows have produced a vicious circle.''

On his Web site, www.icsia.org, Baldwin lists the differences between a real crime scene investigator and the TV counterpart.

First of all, the job of crime scene investigators is not to solve the crime, he said. They process the scene and give their data to the investigators.

``I don't know that any CSI analyzes a crime,'' Baldwin said. ``The forensic scientist does this. There are a lot of things that they do (on the show) that are not real.''

Baldwin admits, however, that he watches.

``It's a nice show,'' he said. ``When it first came out, I did not watch it. When you've been doing this as long as I have, you see all the errors.''

Membership in the association has fluctuated over the years. Currently, there are fewer than 1,000 members, Baldwin said.

``There are a lot of reasons for it,'' he said. ``Most of them are sworn officers and move on up the ranks. Others go through a burn-out period. If you've dealt with enough child homicides, you understand why.''

Of the dozens who take Mundell's class, just a handful likely will go on into law enforcement.

``With me, it wasn't the shows that made me take this,'' said Lisa Pulsifer, 18. ``I'm interested in getting in to the FBI, and I think this will prepare me. I'm interested in psychology.''

Instructor Mundell, who was asked to teach the class several semesters ago because of the popularity of the ``CSI'' shows, said his goal is based on a strange twist: If he can open the eyes of his students to the realities of the profession, then he has succeeded.

``Every piece of evidence you pick up at a crime scene, you have to document,'' he said. ``Half the class is about documentation. There's no paperwork seen on the show, and there's 90 percent paperwork in reality.''

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Students from Santa Clarita area schools take measurements on a ``crime scene'' during their Crime Scene Investigation class at the Newhall sheriff's station Monday night.

(2) Documenting the physical facts of a crime scene is the most important lesson of the class at the Newhall sheriff's station.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer