“Welcome to the world of crimes investigation and forensic science” says Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of one of the most popular American TV shows nowadays, and the inspiration behind the hands-on exhibition “CSI: The Experience”, running until June 15 at Sands Cotai Central, Caspian Ballroom. A video with Zuiker and Mr. Gil Grissom (the main character played by actor William Petersen), the famous head of CSI Las Vegas, introduces the ‘wanna be’ agents to what’s about to come.
Before getting you started and guiding you through the three crime scenes, the resident Crime Scene Investigation team provides everything you’ll need to crack the cases: a few sheets to compile a report based on what you see and a number of questions which will help to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Now we are ready to go and we choose crime scene Number One, entitled “A House Collided”. The scenario is as realistic as possible. A car has crashed into the living room window of a quiet suburban home. There’s a dead man in the driver’s seat, still belted in.
One might think it’s just a normal accident and a dead body, but that would be too simple for a CSI agent. This is where the experience starts to test your observation skills and keeps reminding you of the key basic principle: let the evidence speak for itself. There are many possible clues: a bottle of beer, a piece of pizza, a footprint – it’s up to the detective to find them.
After collecting all the valuable information you can find, it’s time to move to the CSI headquarters and start to analyze all the evidence. The many multi-media presentations accompanying the show explain fundamental scientific principles and introduce different scientific disciplines. Agent-visitors can get familiar with the most advanced technology and techniques used nowadays by crime scene investigators and forensic scientists, and to understand their role in cracking crimes.
Step by step we proceed: toxicology reports followed by blood spatter analysis, the autopsy and DNA identification. Gradually we are getting closer to what happened in that quiet living room suddenly visited by an out of control car.
Once you think you’ve found the right suspect, the final task is to insert all your data into a computer. The results are then reported to Mr. Grissom, at CSI Las Vegas.
In a few seconds the system will give you the verdict and let you know how good you are at solving crimes. If you accomplish your mission, you’ll be awarded with a diploma with your own name and detailling your skills as a new CSI agent. But your mission is not over yet – there are still two more crimes waiting out there to be solved.
In crime scene Number Two, probably the favorite amongst visitors, we’re behind an old Las Vegas motel where a young woman has been found dead in the alley. Among the trash there are several items that may have belonged to the victim.
But the toughest crime scene is Number Three: near a desert canyon, a hiker noticed something odd protruding from the dirt. As he drew nearer, the truth became evident: it was a human skull. As the investigator, you’ve been called in to decide how to uncover these buried secrets of the past.
As usual, nothing is what it seems. And, that’s why they need a real CSI agent on the job. Get to work and good luck!