So You Want To Be...A Criminal Scene Investigator?
Dusting For Prints? No Prob. Fire Some Guns? Sure. Dead Bodies? Umm, no.
Mike Bloom
Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: News
Frank Nicolosi, a member of the Westchester County Police Ballistics Unit and Senior Firearms Examiner/Investigator, ran the fragment of an evidence bullet under the comparison microscope in his office. On the other side of the microscope, Nicolosi placed one of three test bullets so he could compare the striations of one bullet to the other.
To the naked eye, the first test bullet looked fairly similar to the evidence bullet. But it was obvious after a close look they were no match. To Nicolosi, it's even more obvious. With years upon years of training, Nicolosi possesses the rarefied ability to use his eyes and experience in the field to accurately determine if indeed the bullets are a match.
He ran the second test bullet under the microscope.
"Now, how does this one look Michael?" he said to me.
"Pretty close. Definitely closer than the previous one," I said.
"Close is only good in horseshoes. We gotta be perfect," Nicolosi said with a grin on his face as he removed the bullet from the microscope.
And that is the motto of the men that investigate criminal scenes for Westchester County. Detail is everything.
In its natural sense, gun ballistics is the study of projectiles from the time of shooting to the time of impact with the target.
Nicolosi, along with Anthony Tota, another Senior Firearms Examiner from the Ballistics Unit at the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, gave me a run through of all that goes on when dealing with firearms.
Along with those two gentlemen, I spent a few hours with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety and observed many components that make up a crime investigation unit. Besides their incredible understanding of the technology they use and the repercussions of their work, the men at the department were very friendly and informative as well.
Sgt. Michael Dowd, commanding officer and director of the forensics unit, was the first individual I met. He gave me the gist of how they ran things there at the department and how much pride they have in their duties to the community of Westchester.
To the naked eye, the first test bullet looked fairly similar to the evidence bullet. But it was obvious after a close look they were no match. To Nicolosi, it's even more obvious. With years upon years of training, Nicolosi possesses the rarefied ability to use his eyes and experience in the field to accurately determine if indeed the bullets are a match.
He ran the second test bullet under the microscope.
"Now, how does this one look Michael?" he said to me.
"Pretty close. Definitely closer than the previous one," I said.
"Close is only good in horseshoes. We gotta be perfect," Nicolosi said with a grin on his face as he removed the bullet from the microscope.
And that is the motto of the men that investigate criminal scenes for Westchester County. Detail is everything.
In its natural sense, gun ballistics is the study of projectiles from the time of shooting to the time of impact with the target.
Nicolosi, along with Anthony Tota, another Senior Firearms Examiner from the Ballistics Unit at the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, gave me a run through of all that goes on when dealing with firearms.
Along with those two gentlemen, I spent a few hours with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety and observed many components that make up a crime investigation unit. Besides their incredible understanding of the technology they use and the repercussions of their work, the men at the department were very friendly and informative as well.
Sgt. Michael Dowd, commanding officer and director of the forensics unit, was the first individual I met. He gave me the gist of how they ran things there at the department and how much pride they have in their duties to the community of Westchester.
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