Charleston reservist serves as CSI in North Carolina

Published Oct. 14, 2007
By Capt. Bryan Lewis
315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Millions of television viewers are familiar with various episodes and characters of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." These shows and other CSI spinoffs have spawned fan clubs, Web sites and even fan-made art devoted to their theme.

If Dr. Gil Grissom from "CSI: Las Vegas" wondered around Charleston, many people would recognize him. But would they know who Kenneth Lewis is?

Dr. Grissom is just a TV character, not a real crime scene investigator. However, when Master Sgt. Kenneth Lewis isn't serving as the superintendent of the 315th Security Forces Squadron's combat arms, he is a crime scene investigator for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in Charlotte, N.C.

"My major function as a CSI is to search for, collect and preserve physical evidence at various scenes," said the Air Force reservist. "I've responded to homicides, suicides, sexual assaults, vehicle break-ins, shootings and vehicle fatalities."

Sergeant Lewis works the third shift, which means he usually stays busy all night.

"During the late hours, we usually come across assaults with deadly weapons and larcenies of automobiles," he said. "I may end up developing and collecting fingerprints or I might have to do major reconstruction of a scene, such as an officer involved shooting."

Armed with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Sergeant Lewis has completed courses in fingerprint processing and development, bloodstain pattern analysis and interpretation, shooting reconstruction, footwear and tire impressions, digital crime scene photography and chemical blood detection.

One of his more memorable experiences involved a shooting of a fellow officer.

"I remember responding to an officer-involved shooting, where there were over 100 cartridge cases scattered over a scene that spanned over three blocks," he said. "It wasn't the fact that there were a lot of cartridge cases, but the fact that it was in the middle of a rainstorm. We had to document and collect the casings before they washed away."

Another part of his civilian involves testifying in court. In one case, he was on the stand for eight hours. However, courtrooms, armories and crime scenes are not all Sergeant Lewis sees in a given month.

"Another role I play in the unit is as a Security Forces Phoenix Raven," he said. "I provide in-flight armed security, threat and criminal assessments and close-in ground security for aircrew and Department of Defense aircraft deployed to various locations around the world."

Sergeant Lewis has gone to many locations across the globe, including a mission every week for a year after 9/11. Regardless of where he finds himself, he draws on both his military and civilian training.

"My military experience provides me with discipline to withstand long work periods, while maintaining the motivation needed to complete the task," he said. "Also because I have over 17 years of working at firing ranges, I can easily recognize different calibers of cartridge casings and tell the difference between a hole in the wall and gunshot."

Sergeant Lewis said his civilian job helps him when he deploys to an austere location.

"I have to provide written assessments and descriptive narratives of our location," he explained. "I write up to eight reports a night when I'm doing CSI, so one or two written Raven assessments is easy work." (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)