DeKALB | On “CSI,” detectives can solve a quadruple homicide using DNA evidence collected at the scene, having it analyzed in an hour and then bullying the suspect into a confession.

In the real world, “CSI” is just like its characters: fictional.

Detective Angel Reyes of the DeKalb Police Department is not impressed by shows like “CSI” and “Law and Order” because they are not realistic, he said.

“First of all, we can’t solve crimes in an hour,” Reyes said.

While “CSI” detectives are able to get DNA and fingerprints analyzed almost immediately, in the real world, results of a fingerprint can take months, and DNA analysis about 30 days.

The high-tech machines on these shows are often not feasible in small departments because they are so costly. The equipment on these shows is more likely to be in a state lab than in individual stations, Reyes said.

The popularity of these shows may have contributed to an increase of people wanting to pursue careers in these fields.

“TV has glamorized our job and made it more interesting and made it more of a choice of something people want to do now, as opposed to 10 years ago,” Reyes said.

Fred Markowitz, an associate sociology professor, has also seen an increase in students wanting to enter these fields.

“I have noticed that more students seem to be interested in becoming criminalists or psychological ‘profilers,’ but these jobs are not as in demand as many perceive them to be,” Markowitz said. “There are much more opportunities as police officers. In general, police work is not anywhere near as exciting as it is made out to be on TV.”

One thing Reyes noted is that people entering the field want to go directly from being hired to investigating murders. It doesn’t work that way, he said. Officers need to work their way up and learn how to operate in investigations.

Another effect of these shows is that people may have a slightly higher level of fear of victimization. However, crime rates have been declining since the mid-’90s and are at their lowest level in about 40 years, Markowitz said.

“Crime is not as dramatic as it is portrayed on TV. The majority of crimes are property crimes, such as theft,” Markowitz said. “TV dramas tend to focus on homicide, which constitutes a small percentage of crimes committed.”

Shows such as these are generally meant for entertainment purposes, not to show what crime and investigation are really like.

“These shows, however, feed our need to see criminals as monsters, as people very different from us,” said Keri Burchfield, assistant sociology professor. “The truth that criminals are all around us, committing lots more ordinary crimes, is much scarier, I think.”