Skip Crowell

Skip Crowell, forensic/evidence technician with the Pacifica Police Department, is a self-described sorcerer's apprentice.

He's the one who turns ordinary things, such as strands of hair and smudgy fingerprints, into a scenario about a crime and the people who committed it.

By the time he's through using the tools of his trade a forensic light source, a digital camera, swabs, fingerprint powder and a brush he is able to shine a spotlight on the modus operandi of a criminal.Those forensic facts gleaned from the evidence are used to build a conviction.

In his office at the Pacifica Police Department, Crowell has a framed print of Mickey Mouse as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice, from the movie "Fantasia.It was a gift from a colleague and it really rings true for him about the work he does.
...
Crowell is retiring this Friday after 28 years with the Pacifica Police Department.After earning a degree in criminology and evidence technology, he first joined the Madera County Sheriff's office.
...
Crowell spends a lot of time hunting down prints to provide clues about such crimes as credit card fraud, identity theft and car burglaries.

"We spend a lot of time on burglaries, Crowell said.

He collaborates with the personnel in the more extensive San Mateo County forensics evidence lab if the evidence is beyond the expertise of the Pacifica lab.The county lab handles serology, fiber analysis, drug tests and DNA tests.

As a certified crime scene analyst, Crowell is assigned to the investigator's unit.
...
"We've come so far with things we can do that weren't available back then, Crowell said, mentioning DNA analysis and forensic light sources (laser lights) to find hairs and fibers, also digital photography.

For the Hunter re-trial, Crowell reviewed his original sketches because he had to testify again.It was gratifying to see that the police team did a great job the first time, he said.

The high points of his career with the Pacifica PD were the times when the evidence clearly pointed to a conviction.

"Sometimes the worst crime scenes are the ones where you get the conviction, he said.

He has also been in charge of overseeing the property room, a safe place to store all the myriad of evidence.

In retirement, Crowell and his wife, Diane, a former PB&R commissioner, will surely travel, but they have no specific plans.