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Her TV series Crime Scene Confidential is raw yet polished. It combines the science of forensics with the real human emotion of loss. For the ultimate irony, Burroughs says she 麻豆精品 S檚 naturally shy, which makes you wonder how she can be so natural on camera.
麻豆精品 S淲hat you see is me being myself, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
Crime Scene Confidential has run for two seasons on Investigation Discovery (ID), with episodes also streaming on Max. The first season of CSC earned a nomination for the prestigious American Reality Television Award as the Best New Show of the Year. The series is unlike any other crime scene show on television. It 麻豆精品 S檚 unscripted. It 麻豆精品 S檚 revealing. It 麻豆精品 S檚 controversial only because of evidence Burroughs uncovers, not because of sensationalized plots. It 麻豆精品 S檚 all a perfect fit for Burroughs, a former crime scene investigator for the Orange County Sheriff 麻豆精品 S檚 Office.
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How did she get to this place in life? Burroughs traces her story back to a childhood of exploration at a certain university that she 麻豆精品 S檚 always called home.
I grew up on the UCF campus. My dad taught industrial/organizational psychology when the university was still known as FTU (Florida Technological University). During his career, he started a course about the psychology of racial prejudice. Long before I knew what that meant, I 麻豆精品 S檇 go to work with him and feed squirrels outside while he taught. UCF was like my daycare. There was never any question where I 麻豆精品 S檇 go to college.
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I also had no idea at the time that a crime scene investigator was a real job. In addition to teaching at UCF, my dad had a business to help law enforcement professionals prepare for exams. I 麻豆精品 S檇 read general orders for crime scene units across the country and eventually said, 麻豆精品 S淒ad, this is what I want to do. 麻豆精品 S� That 麻豆精品 S檚 why I studied for a master 麻豆精品 S檚 in criminal justice.
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It’s overwhelming to walk into a crime scene. I think about the victim who was here and is no longer with us. I 麻豆精品 S檓 working for that person and for the family members. They 麻豆精品 S檙e all victims. Early in my career with Orange County, I had to come to grips with the fact that I couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 undo what had already been done. But I can find truth, secure justice and maybe provide some closure for the family.
Crime Scene Confidential is my way of doing that, even though it wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 my intention. I left the sheriff 麻豆精品 S檚 department in 2015 to travel and train law enforcement on forensic technology. A talent scout saw me speaking at an event and asked if I 麻豆精品 S檇 be interested in developing a show concept. About a week later I was shooting a sizzle reel from a barstool in my home.
The show almost never happened. I 麻豆精品 S檇 get my hopes up, only to hear we were starting over. One day I finally typed an email that said, 麻豆精品 S淭hank you for trying to make this work, but 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� As I was typing, my phone rang. A producer said, 麻豆精品 S淐ongratulations. We have a TV show. 麻豆精品 S� I went over to my laptop and deleted the email.
I only agreed to do the show because it 麻豆精品 S檚 unprecedented. We have no agenda or angle. Viewers can see for the first time what a real crime scene investigator does with real cases. You watch me go to the crime scene after I read as many as 4,000 pages of evidence, reports and testimony. If the case is old, I apply new forensic technology to original clues. Then I talk with prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, investigators, and family members through the lens of a CSI who 麻豆精品 S檚 fully prepared to find the puzzle pieces.
The first episode is an example of how raw this is. We went back to the case of toddler Caylee Anthony here in Orlando. I worked the case in 2008. Every morning I 麻豆精品 S檇 see that little girl 麻豆精品 S檚 face on the news and then go to work as a CSI to look for clues 麻豆精品 S� for justice. It was still emotional for me when our crew parked outside the house and started filming nearly 15 years later.
“With the show, I can sit down with (families) and let them know someone is paying attention to them … and someone will be their voice …” 麻豆精品 S� Alina Burroughs 麻豆精品 S�00 麻豆精品 S�02MS, UCF alum and host of Crime Scene Confidential
I 麻豆精品 S檓 not an actor. And I don 麻豆精品 S檛 see myself as just a TV host. I 麻豆精品 S檓 a navigator and translator of evidence for the audience. Evidence has no bias. Viewers can decide for themselves if the justice system got each case right or not.
Every episode is meaningful. But there 麻豆精品 S檚 an episode in season two that stands out. We bring a man who was 14 years old when his mother was murdered to meet the person thought to be responsible for her death. They have a real conversation while I sit off camera. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a powerful moment.
When I worked as a CSI, I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 meet with families. My job was to find evidence, finish a report, and go to the next case. With the show, I can sit down with family members and let them know someone is paying attention to them, someone cares about their loss, and someone will be their voice to everyone who 麻豆精品 S檚 watching.
I feel like the ultimate big sister. Girls or anyone who feels underrepresented in STEM can watch the show and realize, 麻豆精品 S淲ow, I can have a meaningful career in science like Alina. 麻豆精品 S� You can change lives and be yourself. You can even do it with pink hair.
Crime Scene Confidential airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. eastern on ID, or streaming on Max. The two-part finale will air Thursday, Oct. 25, at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
