LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The hit series CSI has run on the CBS television channel since 2000— and has created many successful spin-offs like Miami, New York, and now Vegas.
However, there's much more when it comes to Crime Scene Investigation in the real world.
"We do not solve crimes in 60 minutes, it takes a lot longer than that," said Bailey Sandoval, a Crime Scene Specialist for the Little Rock Police Department.
Sandoval and Meagan Buchert have both worked for the Little Rock Police Department's CSI Unit for years.
While officers are the first to arrive at a crime scene, these specialists are the ones who gather evidence in hopes of tracking down a suspect.
It could take an hour or even up to several days to process a crime scene.
"So, we take photos, we will take detailed notes, we take measurements sometimes, then, we mark the evidence and then we do it all again; and then we search," said Buchert, another Crime Scene Specialist for LRPD.
What sets LRPD's CSI unit apart from others is that it's made up entirely of women.
"We've got new moms, we have toddler moms, we have dog moms, and we just have that understanding and we love it, we love that," Buchert explained.
She said that since the 90s, forensic science has grown with more women applying to the field. LRPD receives hundreds of applications for Crime Scene Specialists from all over the country.
"I think we are very organized, very detail-oriented, very meticulous," said Buchert.
All the women on the CSI team are also very educated.
"We all have a four-year science degree and about 30 percent of us have a Master's degree," said Buchert.
Sandoval actually found her passion in college when she was contemplating whether to become a brain surgeon or a baker.
"My counselor suggested a forensic science course and I took that and once I found out that you could lift a fingerprint off a metal spoon I instantly knew that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and now I'm here doing that," she explained.
Buchert said this is something she has always wanted to do since she was a little girl. She and her babysitter used to play 'solve the crime' and outline her body in chalk.
It's a life-long call that these women were ready to answer.
"We all have a job to do and we know we are the only ones that can do it," said Sandoval.