Police Officer 1st Class Eddie Matthews recently received the Arlington-Fairfax Elks Lodge 2008 Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer Award. Matthews has served Fairfax County as a first responder for nearly 23 years, and more recently he has become involved with the crime scene investigation unit. In April 2008, he helped remove 12 people from a house and apprehend a suspect after responding to a report of an assault that escalated into a homicide case.
Why did you want to become a police officer?
My parents always told me to choose a career where you can feel you’ve accomplished something or helped someone at end of day. I started off as military policeman in the Army and then came right to Fairfax County. I grew up in Franconia and went to high school at Edison. So it feels like I’m giving back a little bit back to the community where I grew up.
What got you interested in doing crime scene investigation work?
My interest started in the military. As patrol officers, we weren’t allowed to process a crime scene. We would have to tell a victim or homeowner to do the best they could to maintain the crime scene and then they would be contacted in a couple days. That got me frustrated. When I came to the [Fairfax] department, I decided to make up for lost time. I started taking crime scene classes and immediately applied for a supplemental crime scene unit that gives patrol officers advanced
crime scene training to keep up on the latest techniques and technology.
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Any interesting new technologies you’ve used to analyze a crime scene?
We have a new device called Blue Max that was just issued. It’s a blue light that comes with a filter and detects bodily fluids and latent fingerprints. They just jump out at you. It’s a real good tool that I’ve used a couple times.
What does a real crime scene investigator think of shows like “CSI”?
The techniques and procedures they do are mostly true to life. But you can’t take fingerprints with a cell phone and send it to someone to analyze in 40 minutes. It doesn’t quite work that way. Be nice if it would.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Having someone say thank you to something I’ve done.
