CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was a popular television drama series that ran for 15 years on CBS. The show centered on using physical evidence to solve murders.
Parkers Chapel alum Lauren (O’Pry) McDonald said those shows, while entertaining, aren’t always realistic. McDonald is a Chief Forensic Chemist of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock.
“These shows have shaped the expectation of the public. There’s always a fingerprint, DNA, or something there. Sometimes prints are there but are not of sufficient value to be usable to identify a person,” McDonald said. “Even though DNA is present, sometimes an association to a specific person cannot be made, whether it is due to complexity of the sample matrix or lack of a known source of DNA for comparison. We as forensic scientists do not leave the laboratory and question suspects. Our area of expertise is science. We leave the investigations to law enforcement. These television shows depict laboratory analysts getting results within an hour or two of the submission to the laboratory. This is rarely the reality, as forensic testing takes longer than a few hours and each case must undergo peer review to ensure we have followed proper procedures and reached an appropriate conclusion based on the results of testing.”
So, while Abby Sciuto on the TV series NCIS might be a quirky, loveable forensic scientist, she's also very much a fictional character.
McDonald, who graduated from Parkers Chapel in 1998, has worked for the crime lab for 15 years. She started as a forensic chemist and progressed to Assistant Chief Forensic Chemist in 2016 and then to Chief Forensic Chemist in 2018.
“As a Chief Forensic Chemist, I manage a team of Forensic Drug Chemists and work closely with the other Chief Forensic Chemist. Drug Chemistry’s size necessitates two managers. When fully staffed, we have a total of 30 analysts across three locations. We have satellite laboratories in Hope (Drug Chemistry) and Lowell (Drug Chemistry and Toxicology),” said McDonald.
The routine duties of the Chief Forensic Chemist include: case work management, policy and procedure writing and review, instruction to analysts on difficult casework samples, ensuring quality and safety policies are followed, communication with attorneys and law enforcement, education of law enforcement and the public, and working with administration in many ways to grow the agency.
McDonald said she also still works as a forensic chemist when time permits. That role uses multiple testing schemes to analyze evidence submitted to the agency to determine of it contains controlled substances. An official report of the findings is produced and testimony may be called into court.
What’s it like having a job that half of the network television schedule imitates?
“Getting to say you work at a crime lab definitely brings the ‘cool factor,’ but I’d say the biggest pro for me is knowing my work is essential in the criminal justice process and contributes to society as a whole,” said McDonald. “As a manager my favorite part of the job is seeing individual analysts grow in their careers. Forensic scientist jobs are typically stable government jobs with normal Monday-Friday daytime hours, good benefits, and paid time off. Probably everyone in forensics will give you the same con, don’t go into this field looking to get rich. You are paid fairly, but most government positions do not have the same leeway for raises and salary increases that private companies do.”