It is about 2 a.m. at the scene of an officer-involved shooting. The robbery suspect is dead, a weapon lies just a few feet away. Police have secured the scene and crime scene investigators are on the job.
"I see it all: crime scenes, officer involved shootings, capital murders, to minor burglaries of a vehicle," said 21-year veteran, Dan Terrill. After years on S.A.P.D's CSI Unit, not much seems to faze Terrill.
While the crimes vary, he says his approach to each one is similar. He combs the area for evidence, collecting clues to analyze, and trying to reconstruct how the crime occurred. We rode along with him one night.
"You usually will hear lots of e-tones, shooting scenes, cutting scenes..." said Terrill of a typical night.
The next day at the Bexar County crime lab we joined ballistics experts to see if the gun was fired exactly as the shooter described.
Ballistics tests determine how far away the muzzle of the gun was from the target when it was fired. On one of our trial shots, it is noticeable how a closer distance gives a more packed, dense gunshot residue pattern.
"It's going to leave a nice chemical residue that you're going to be able to see," says ballistics expert, Mike Martinez.
After that, the gunshot splatter is mapped and marked. Later this ballistic study may be presented to a jury. Even the tiniest evidence can be collected and tested for microscopic gunshot residue on a person's hand. That residue shows up very clearly under a powerful microscope.
But before evidence even gets to the county crime lab for extensive forensic testing, it is taken to SAPD's lab where evidence is initially categorized. There, fingerprints are lifted using the traditional black powder and chemical methods. High intensity lights and filters help spot bodily fluids at a crime scene.
Suspected illegal substances are tested to determine if they are cocaine, methamphetamine, or even heroin. CSI's still rely on sketching, but they also take photos and video, all of which is studied and stored.
The newest high-tech tool in SAPD's arsenal is a panoramic camera that captures 360-degree images of the crime scene, from ceiling to floor. It gives a juror a 3-D virtual tour of the place. It's much more like the technology you might see on shows like 'CSI'.
"It'll scan a room and we convert that into a movie," says CSI Michelle Villanueva.
Local CSI's are also still training to use the new Leica 3-D scanner. Scanner photographs allows investigators to measure exact distances from any given points on an image.
In real life it takes many people to do the job one TV series 'CSI' investigator performs. But, in the end, they all work toward the same goal.
"The new technology is taking us to a new level that people are expecting. They want to be able to see. Ultimately, we are going to have an arsenal of documenting equipment for investigation and prosecution," said Sgt. Jay Montano.
