Madison Messenger - May 5th, 2019

www.madisonmessengernews.com May 5, 2019 - MADISON MESSENGER - Page 3
What forensics work is really like LONDON PUBLIC LIBRARY
LIBRARY CLOSED ON SUNDAYS
By Dedra Cordle
cially when it means they see first-hand the • Tuesday, May 7th
Staff Writer
horrors humans can inflict on one another. Toddler Time - 10:00 am; Preschool Story Time - 11:00 am;
Both said they do it because they know they Levi at the Library - 4:00 pm
As a regular patron of London Public Library,
Michelle Tuttle looks forward to the
are helping others by working the case. • Thursday, May 9th
“To be able to find a resolution to a tragic Play Date - 10:30 am
library’s special programs because they provide
a chance for her family to experience
Library Board Meeting - 5:00 pm
•
event means a lot to families,” said Davis.
Monday, May 13th
“Knowing that you played some part in
new and educational activities together.
• Tuesday, May 14th
helping them as they try to heal from these
“It’s always fun for us to look online and
Toddler Time - 10:00 am; Preschool Story Time - 11:00 am;
circumstances is one of the most rewarding
see what they will be doing,” she said.
Book Club - 7:00 pm
aspects of my job.”
When Tuttle came across the library’s
• Wednesday, May 15th
After the presentation, several parents Cookbook Club - 7:00 pm
announcement for a forensics program featuring
employees from the Ohio Bureau of
came up to Davis and Slaper to speak about • Thursday, May 16th
their children who have shown an interest Play Date - 10:30 am
Criminal Investigation (BCI), she immediately
told her 14-year-old daughter, Kelley,
visit: http://mylondonlibrary.org for more information
in a career in their respective fields. Davis Check out the library’s website for a list of all our Programs.
told them that although he has seen truly
about it.
awful things and been placed in dangerous
For years, the two have held date nights
situations, he feels it is a worthwhile path.
where they settle down in front of the television
to watch their favorite criminal inves-
Kelley said she is more determined than
ever to work in the criminal field. Her
EADES
tigation shows. Throughout each hour-long
mother said she is going to try to support
show, they debate the cases, discuss the actions
of their favorite characters and laugh
INSURANCE AGENCY
her endeavors.
Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle “Some of what they said creeped me out,”
has moved to
at how neatly the most complex cases always
come together at the end.
London Public Library hosted a forensics
said Tuttle with a laugh. “But I know the
importance of their professions, and if this 60 W. High St.
“They can be a little ridiculous sometimes, program on April 24 with Ohio Bureau of
is what Kelley wants to do, I’ll try to help
but we love them anyway,” Tuttle said. Criminal Investigation (BCI) special agent
her reach her goals.”
London, OH 43140
Over the course of watching the shows, supervisor Roger Davis and DNA laboratory
supervisor Kristen Slaper. For more
This presentation marks the second time
Kelley has started to envision a future in
BCI employees have visited London Public Library.
Stephanie McComas, support services
(formerly O’Connor’s Printing)
which she solves crimes—and not on a set for than an hour, they spoke to a crowd of
television.
more than 20 about the work performed at
administrator, said the library would welcome
them back again. She added that the li-
740-852-4090
“At first I thought of being an emergency BCI and common misconceptions about
medical technician, and then I thought of their jobs as fueled by television dramas. brary’s shelves contain plenty of books related www.insurancelondonoh.com
getting into the forensics field. Now I’m set
on working with the FBI on criminal analysis,”
said Kelley, an eighth-grader at Lon-
that are as far away from Miami Beach as to the field, both non-fiction and fiction.
you can get.”
don Middle School.
Davis told the audience of more than 20
Kelley’s desire to work in this field set off
that as a homicide investigator, he has seen
an unease with her mother.
the worst of humanity but finds some solace
“I don’t like it,” said Tuttle, who works at
in the effort that is taken to solve the
a pharmacy. “It’s too scary.”
crimes.
To try to quell her nerves, she thought
“We have people at the BCI that are committed
to solving crimes and finding justice
the forensics program would be a great opportunity
to learn about the field in reality
for the victims and their families,” he said.
as compared to what is presented in television
dramas.
“It’s not like these shows where everything
can be solved in a matter of days. Sometimes
“I wanted to know more about this field
it takes years if not decades, and sometimes
from people who actually experience it,” she
it never happens, but we always have people
explained. “I wanted to maybe find an ease
in our units trying to solve them.”
in Kelley’s potential career path.”
According to Slaper, who began her career
at BCI as a DNA scientist more than 13
So, on April 24, the Tuttle family drove
to the library where Roger Davis, a special
years ago, BCI experts are currently testing
agent supervisor, and Kristen Slaper, a
evidence collected from crime scenes in the
DNA laboratory supervisor, talked about
1970s and 1980s.
their backgrounds and BCI and addressed
Davis said cases from the earlier decades
common misconceptions related to their line
are complex and frustrating, and that
of work. It wasn’t a presentation that
largely stems from how scenes were covered
calmed Tuttle’s mind.
then. He used an example of vague notes
“It’s not a line of work for everyone,”
that may have worked for the investigator at
Davis said.
that time, but not for those in the present.
Since becoming a patrol officer at a suburban
police department more than 25
“It would say, ‘The man on the hill told
me...’”, he explained. “Well, there’s no mention
of the hill or the name of the man, so it
years ago, Davis has worked on a drug unit
and spent the past 15 years working in the
doesn’t do us a lot of good.”
investigation division with a focus on crimes
Still, Slaper said all parties work with
against children. It is a career, he noted,
what they have, and she feels they do a
that has taken him to many locations, none
great job of it, too. Davis agreed.
of which were on pristine beaches, as shown
“I may be biased, but I think we have one
in some forensics-focused television shows.
of the most efficient BCI’s in the country,”
“I’ve been down at the bottom of an outhouse,
searching for evidence, and I’ve
he said, referring to their average turnaround
time of three weeks for analysis of
looked through the muck of sewage treatment
pipes,” he said. “I’ve been to places
collected DNA.
One member of the audience asked Davis
and Slaper why they do what they do, espe-