Why does every crime show skip the boring evidence room scenes?

I've binged like 8 crime procedurals this month and they all jump straight from finding a clue to solving the case... completely ignoring how lab techs spend days cross-referencing DNA databases and logging chain-of-custody forms. My cousin actually works evidence in Dallas and says real investigations are 90% paperwork and waiting on test results. Anyone else feel like shows are giving us a fake idea of how police work actually happens?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_bell1mo ago

Read an interview with a former crime scene investigator who said for every hour of field work there's ten hours of paperwork and waiting for lab results. TV just skips all that because nobody wants to watch someone stare at a computer screen for three episodes.

sanchez.mary1mo ago

That 10 to 1 ratio sounds about right from what I've heard from people in that field. I remember this one detective they profiled on a true crime doc, and she said most of her time was just sitting in her car watching a house or filling out forms about chain of custody for evidence. TV makes it look like you find one hair and the lab has a DNA match by the next commercial break. The reality is they're waiting weeks or months for basic tests to come back, and then more time to write the report on what they found. That's probably why shows focus more on the interrogation room drama instead, because that part actually moves fast.

michaelgrant1mo ago

Used to think those shows were just cutting out the boring parts for time, but reading @james_bell's post and that 10 to 1 ratio actually hit home. Always assumed they exaggerated the lab stuff for drama but it sounds like the real boredom is the opposite problem. Had a buddy who did evidence collection and he quit because he spent more time on his laptop than at the scenes. Makes you see those TV detectives in a whole different light when you realize they skip over 90 percent of the actual job.