Lots More Information
Author's Note: How Crime-scene Clean-up Works
This is my second go at How Crime-scene Clean-up Works. The first, I wrote in 2006, with hours and hours of research but without the benefit of an interview. This one, I was lucky enough to be handed an industry contact by my editor, and after communicating with Andrew Whitmarsh, the insight was invaluable. I asked him both business-related and personal questions, and his responses to the latter took me aback. You hear a lot out there these days about the "commercialization of death." And no doubt there are those working in the CTS decon business who see it as a money-making endeavor and nothing more; but any illusions I had of some industrywide callousness in the face of human tragedy were disabused. Mr. Whitmarsh related observations that were sensitive and certainly attached. It would be a mistake, then, to think the decision earn a living cleaning up after tragedy implies a callousness toward it, and many of the additions in this version are intended to reflect that.
Related Articles
More Great Links
Sources
- AMDECON. (2006) http://www.amdecon.com/
- BBC Health. "Human decomposition after death." April 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/decompostionafterdeath.shtml
- Biohazard Response, Inc. http://www.biohazardresponse.com/
- Candland, Dave. "Cleaning Up the Dead." Salt Lake City Weekly. June 11, 2007. http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-2614-cleaning-up-the-dead.html
- Darr, Jeff. "Crime doesn't pay -- the cleanup does." CM Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online. Sept. 19, 2010. http://www.cmmonline.com/articles/crime-doesn-t-pay-mdash-the-cleanup-does-3
- Davidson, Tony. "How Much Money Annually Can You Make Cleaning Scenes?" Demand Media/The Houston Chronicle. (Dec. 8, 2013) http://work.chron.com/much-money-can-make-annually-cleaning-crime-scenes-19555.html
- Falcon, Gabriel. "Crime scene cleanup business 'is not a job for everyone." CNN. Jan. 12, 2012. (Dec. 9, 2013) http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/11/us/new-york-crime-cleanups/
- Inside Edition. "Crime Scene Clean Up – Inside Edition Investigates." May 22, 2013. (Dec. 9, 2013) http://www.insideedition.com/investigative/6376-crime-scene-clean-up-inside-edition-investigates
- Kramer, Jillian. "Crime Scene Cleanup." The Press-Register. Feb. 24, 2008. (Dec. 9, 2013) http://www.jilliankramer.com/Crime_Scene_Cleaners_by_Jillian_Kramer.pdf
- Lane, Charlotte Balcomb. "Crime-Scene Cleanup a Growing Industry." The Albuquerque Journal. Feb. 12, 2005. (Dec. 8, 2013) http://www.abqjournal.com/biz/outlook/302974outlook02-10-05.htm
- Mahoney, Ryan. "Crime Scene Cleaners." Birmingham Business Journal. Nov. 9, 2003. http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/11/10/smallb1.html?t=printable
- Modern Franchises. "Bio-One Crime Scene Cleaning Franchise." (Dec. 8, 2013) http://modernfranchises.com/bio-one-crime-scene-cleaning-franchise/
- Sahadi, Jeanne. "Six-figure jobs: Crime-scene cleaner." CNN Money. April 15, 2005. http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/28/pf/sixfigs_eleven/index.htm
- Smither, Neal. "Crime Scene Cleaners" . From "Gig: Americans Talk about Their Jobs at the Turn of the Millennium." Bowe J, Bowe M, Streeter S , Murphy D, Kernochan R, eds. Broadway Books. c2001. [Accessed 2006] Available at: http://beebo.org/smackerels/crime-scene.html
- Sephen, Rosemary. "CSI: Crime Scene Inspection." Elements: Environmental Health Intelligence. May 23, 2009. (Dec. 9, 2013) http://www.elementshealthspace.com/2009/05/23/csi-crime-scene-inspection/
- Stouffer, Jeffrey. "Bio-Recovery: Seeing Growth and Growing Pains." Restoration and Remediation. July/Aug. 2011. (Dec. 8, 2013) http://digital.bnpmedia.com/display_article.php?id=780816
- Warner, Joel. "The art of inhumation: Commercializing the danse macabre." Boulder Weekly. June 26, 2003. http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive/062603/coverstory.html
- Washington State Department of Health. "Hazards of Methamphetamine Production." http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/CDL/methhazards.htm
- Whitmarsh, Andrew. Operations Safety & Compliance Manager, Aftermath, Inc. E-mail Interview. Dec. 2, 2013.