Forensics

“Ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, fingerprints.”

(The Trap)

Blood Knowledge

• Huggy notes it is blood on the car door. (Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• Hutch knows it is blood on a leaf. (Satan’s Witches)
• Hutch knows it is blood on the floor of the shack. (Snowstorm)
• Hutch says “I got blood here, too” on the sidewalk. (Losing Streak)
• Hutch says he “has blood, too” in the Captain’s stateroom. (Murder at Sea)
• Starsky and Hutch deny knowledge of how to treat the blood in pool water. (Pilot)
• “All that blood’s liable to throw off that chemical balance something fierce,” says the hotel manager. (Pilot)
• Starsky knows it is blood on the cabin door by the smell. (Satan’s Witches)
• Starsky says “got blood.” It is Smitty’s at the Western Hotel. (Running)
• Starsky says “I got blood” in Captain’s stateroom. (Murder at Sea)
• Starsky says “I got blood” on Vic’s car. (Losing Streak)
• Hutch tells Dobey, “If it’s Starsky’s blood, it won’t matter,“ regarding the blood in the john. (Bloodbath)
• Starsky tells Kira, “If you prick us, doth we not bleed?” (Starsky vs. Hutch)

Blood That Isn’t Human

• There is bull blood on the mirror in the bathroom. (Bloodbath)
• There is goat blood in a jar at Slade’s room. (The Vampire)
• There is goat blood painted on the cabin door. (Satan’s Witches)

Buckets and Blood

• Starsky asks for clarification, “Isn’t that Artie Solkin’s Bucket of Blood?” (Vendetta)
• Starsky and Hutch are trying to get receipts together; they have one from the “Blood Bucket.” (Hutchinson for Murder One)

Crime Scene Body Outlines

• Palmer (Birds of a Feather)
• Michelle (The Deadly Imposter)
• Allen Richards (Class in Crime)

Bad Breath

• Goose breathes heavily on Starsky to prove “he is alive.” Starsky mentions “air pollution.” (Bust Amboy)
• The guy Starsky cuffs in robbery smells bad, but it is raw fish Starsky smells. (Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back Into Your Heart)
• Hutch waves Starsky’s alcoholic breath away with a hand. (Moonshine)
• Pucker has bad breath. (Pilot)
• Rosey Malone breathes on Starsky, and Starsky pretends to collapse from the smell. (I Love You, Rosey Malone)
• Starsky breathes on Hutch. Hutch remarks, “It’s a little gamey.” (Murder at Sea)
• Starsky breathes on Hutch. “It’s a little gamey, isn’t it?” Starsky scams Hutch’s freshener. (The Heroes)
• Starsky has bad breath due to tostadas. Watch Starsky breathe into his own hand and smell is breath. (Discomania)
• Wally has bad breath. Both Starsky and Hutch wave his breath away with a hand. (Lady Blue)
• Starsky says nowhere does it say in the Constitution he has to be nice to reporters with bad breath, commenting on Stu Basset’s. (Foxy Lady)
• Monty Voorhees has bad breath; Starsky waves it away from his face. (The Bounty Hunter)
• Starsky threatens patrons with jail cells filled with people who have “elephant breath.” (The Heroes)

Starsky and Hutch’s Autopsies

• Hutch mentions Starsky’s autopsy, saying the coroner would find a “petrified beef burrito.” Starsky helpfully adds, “With onions.” (Survival)
• Starsky mentions Hutch’s autopsy report. He wants to know, for clarification, what is in the health shake. (Pariah)

Spit, Drool, Sweat, and Vomit

• Dobey says “traces of human saliva” were found on Honey’s neck. (The Vampire)
• Hutch spits pool water into the face of Jack Parker. (The Groupie)
• It’s going to be “forty-eight hours of sweat and pain” for Hutch. (Pilot)
• Hutch comments the “guy was in spitting distance” of Lindsay and Richards. (Cover Girl)
• Hutch replies to Starsky, “Hey, what’s a little drool among friends, huh?” (Birds of a Feather)
• Hutch spits out his coffee in surprise at hearing of Starsky’s Brahms tickets. (Targets Without a Badge: Part 2)
• Hutch tells Starsky to “quit spitting on your paddle.” (Sweet Revenge)
• The man Dolphin bumps into on the way into the Belmont spits on him. (Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• Hutch tells Starsky to “stop drooling in the food.” (Terror on the Docks)
• Pardee spits on Hutch. (The Game)
• Hutch spits his coffee out into Starsky’s sink. (Starsky vs. Hutch)
• Hutch tells Starsky, “I think I am going to throw up.” Starsky tells him, “Not in my car!” (Partners)
• Starsky throws up after drinking too much moonshine. (Moonshine)
• Hutch throws up during his heroin withdrawal. (The Fix)
• Reese chortles it is the “first time we’ve gotten within spitting distance of the front page since…1959.” (The Golden Angel)
• Starsky says to Hutch, “I know you’re excited but do you have to drool on my seat?” (Birds of a Feather)
• Starsky spits on his hands before arm wrestling. (A Body Worth Guarding)
• Starsky tells Huggy that Hutch is liking watching Anna “less than spit.” (A Body Worth Guarding)
• Starsky tells Hutch to spit on his hurt knuckle. (Murder on Stage 17)
• Starsky tells Hutch, “You know coming down here to watch you sweat is not the high point of my day.” (Pilot)
• Steve Hanson tells Starsky and Hutch about a woman spitting on Wally Stone after he got out of prison. (Murder on Stage 17)
• The saliva sample from a glass provides information. (The Avenger)
• Hutch tells White, “You sweat, White. Because after we’ve got Rankin, we’re coming after you.” (Losing Streak)
• Hutch tells Starsky that all a wrestler needs is “to spit, groan, and fly around the ring.” (Omaha Tiger)
• A cigarette with lipstick is found with Charles Baron’s body. (Ballad for a Blue Lady)

Aware of Fingerprints

• A cop is seen dusting the television for fingerprints in Palmer’s room. (Birds of a Feather)
• Colby uses a glove on the handle of the knife used to kill Harvey Russo. (The Deadly Imposter)
• Alec Corday wipes the letter opener’s handle. (Death in a Different Place)
• Nick Hunter uses the towel to wipe the fingerprints off the door handle as he leaves the hotel. (Death in a Different Place)
• Dobey mentions fingerprints on envelope filled with money. (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty)
• Dobey tells Starsky and Hutch he’s running a make on “Elaine Stroud’s” fingerprints, “but that might take a couple of days.” (Jojo)
• Drew uses cloth on the Torino’s handle after planting the bomb. (The Specialist)
• Hutch asks Officer Smitty to dust crime scene for prints again. (Discomania)
• Starsky and Hutch call Dobey to get a lab team to check Harry Johnson’s car for fingerprints. (The Hostages)
• Jewelry store clerk doesn’t like Joey’s fingerprints on his glass display case. (The Trap)
• Hutch has the letter checked for prints. (The Avenger)
• Hutch jokes Melinda is “probably dusting the deck for fingerprints.” (The Groupie)
• Hutch mentions they got a good thumbprint off the register at “robbery.” It turns out to be Prudholm’s. (Starsky’s Lady)
• Jewelry store owner “ta, ta, ta”s Hutch over the fingerprints he leaves on the glass counter. (The Trap)
• Hutch tells someone on phone, while at a crime scene, to “notify the prints and lab boys.” (Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• J.T. asks for a new card deck to be used, a “fresh pack’s got nobody’s fingerprints on them.” (Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• Jack Parker’s prints are on the letter of credit and used as a clue. (The Groupie)
• Jimmy Lucas wears gloves to conceal his fingerprints. (Birds of a Feather)
• Patricia Talbert is ID’d through her fingerprints. (Pilot)
• Starsky picks up Jack Morgan’s gun by the tip of the barrel. (Class in Crime)
• Prudholm wipes his off of the rifle. (Pariah)
• Starsky and Hutch use a cloth when they search Ryan’s office. (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty)
• Starsky hopes there are “latent prints” on the envelope McClellan sends Rigger. (Targets Without a Badge: Part 1)
• Starsky says “they’re looking for prints” at the St. Francis Hotel. (Death in a Different Place)
• Starsky says not to bother dusting the car for Callendar’s prints. (The Plague)
• Starsky uses a cloth on phone at Harry’s place. (The Hostages)
• Starsky uses a cloth to open some of the bureau drawers. (Vendetta)
• Starsky uses his police ID to turn weapon over. (Death in a Different Place)
• Starsky uses Hutch’s shirt on the van door. (The Psychic)
• Terry Nash’s fingerprints have been surgically removed. (The Set-Up)
• The fake Starsky assures Sharon he and the fake Hutch didn’t leave any fingerprints. (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty)
• Dobey tells Hutch regarding abandoned van, “Let’s see what the lab boys turn up.” (Bloodbath)
• The lab calls Hutch to tell him the blood in the bathroom was not human, but bovine. (Bloodbath)
• The saliva on glass provides gender, race, and blood type information. (The Avenger)
• There “wasn’t a usable print in the whole thing,” Starsky says about Moon’s plane. (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead)
• Todesco tells Starsky and Hutch the rifle is “clean” and has no prints. (Class in Crime)

Other Forensic Moments

• Dobey wants Baron’s “bug” sent to lab for analysis. (Dandruff)
• From the “cooling of the body,” Emma Lou is thought to have died at 5:00 am. (Texas Longhorn)
• Gum wrappers are a clue. (Terror on the Docks)
• Hutch can tell the assailant was smaller than the victim because the angle of entry was straight on. (The Avenger)
• Hutch says, “Forensics said the explosion was set off by a radio unit.” (Cover Girl)
• JFK quarter is a clue. (Vendetta)
• The ballistics match and this is a clue. (The Committee, Snowstorm)
• The boot’s toe piece is evidence. (Texas Longhorn)
• Coroner Carboni tells Hutch the victims are killed with one hand citing “the imprints on the throat.” (Quadromania)
• The lab is looking at rug fibers off of victim’s clothing. (Discomania)
• Hutch has Dr. Jake take some shots of the tire tracks at Emma Lou’s murder scene. (Texas Longhorn)
• Lieutenant Cameron says they have a match with Jack’s shoe print. (The Las Vegas Strangler)
• Starsky locates the snow tire and tries to match it to tracks at the murder scene. (Texas Longhorn)

Careless Forensic Evidence by Criminals
and Sloppy Police Work Moments

• Dobey refers to Meredith as Starsky’s “new partner.” Starsky complains, “The body’s not even cold.“ (Black and Blue)
• Starsky and Hutch don’t call the lab after Tommy leaves the rat in the fridge and throws the brick through the window. (Vendetta)
• Starsky handles the chloroform rag in Jack Morgan’s apartment without gloves. (Class in Crime)
• Jojo and fellow thug get their fingerprints all over the phone and doorknob at Brooks. (Jojo)
• Hutch covers Vanessa with a blanket. Fibers, fibers, ta, ta, ta. (Hutchinson for Murder One)
• Hutch handles Carl Stoltz’s glass with bare hands. (The Specialist)
• Alec Corday is careless with his fingerprints at the St. Francis Hotel with Orrin Lawford. (Death in a Different Place)
• Alec Corday is careless with his prints in Blaine’s hotel room. (Death in a Different Place)
• Bo Rile handles Konig’s possessions with bare hands. (The Bounty Hunter)
• Alec Corday wipes the handle of the letter opener to get his prints off, but this leaves the handle bare of supposedly Hunter’s prints as well. (Death in a Different Place)
• Hutch opens the van door with bare hands. Shortly after, he tells Dobey the likelihood of useful information being found on it by the Lab Boys is as likely as the Tooth Fairy. (Bloodbath)
• Hutch uses his shirt to open the van door, but it touches other things with his bare hand. (The Psychic)
• Hutch wads up the gum wrapper evidence and tosses it. (Terror on the Docks)
• Judge McClellan gets his fingerprints all over cocaine baggie and envelope. (Targets Without a Badge: Part 1)
• Hutch, Simonetti, and Dryden get their fingerprints all over the diamond found in Hutch’s car. (Hutchinson for Murder One)
• Disturbing a crime scene, Starsky flings open the curtains in Jack Morgan’s apartment. (Class in Crime)
• While Hutch is somewhat careful, he still handles Michelle’s cigarette in Jack Morgan’s apartment without gloves. (Class in Crime)
• Officer Mike goads men in Line-Up, giving them, and the people watching, inappropriate information. (Vendetta)
• Blaine’s bed sheets aren’t being bagged for evidence. To make matters worse, Starsky sits on them. (Death in a Different Place)
• Mike Todesco smokes at the Garras crime scene. (The Collector)
• Officer questions Starsky, Hutch, and Eddie Moore together in one room. (The Bait)
• Pommier leaves crowbar with his prints at manhole cover. (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead)
• Prudholm doesn’t do a very thorough job of wiping his off rifle. (Pariah)
• Billy uses his bare hand on Ted Banks’ dad’s doorknob after killing Ted. (Terror on the Docks)
• Starsky and Hutch are oblivious to fingerprints as they handle doorknob and the mattress in shack. (Snowstorm)
• Starsky and Hutch basically trash Prudholm’s place, throwing and kicking evidence and using their bare hands. (Pariah)
• Jack Thorn is killed at 9:00 pm. His car crash was at 3:00 am, making him six hours dead. This would mean his coroner was pretty sloppy. (Death Notice)
• Starsky and Hutch, first on scene, carelessly touch and move all sorts of things in Jack’s apartment. (Class in Crime)
• Starsky gets his fingers all over prescription bottle he finds on the garage floor. (Discomania)
• Starsky picks up the phone at Prudholm’s trap on Breen with disregard to fingerprints. (Starsky’s Lady)
• Starsky, Hutch, and Kalowitz are careless about Edward Crown’s gun at bust scene. While it is later understood Burke and Corman have a vested interest in it disappearing, one of the other three should have secured it. (Snowstorm)
• The silver toe piece is handled without regard to fingerprints, is almost lost in Starsky’s car, and then carelessly slid on a café counter. It should have been in an evidence bag and packed away. (Texas Longhorn)
• There is a distinct lack of recording and record keeping in most interrogations. (various)
• While more dated than careless, Starsky and Hutch put organic evidence in plastic bags, rather than paper. (The Avenger)
• While somewhat aware of prints on letter, Hutch still handles it carelessly. (The Avenger)
• While Starsky uses protection when opening up Tommy’s bureau, he doesn’t with Jimmy’s. (Vendetta)

First Paraffin Moment

• Dobey mentions the paraffin test done on the hotel burglar, making the viewer perhaps wonder about I.A. and Gillian. (The Set-Up)

Dated Forensic Moments in Terms of Germs

• All the miscellaneous food sharing. (various)
• Starsky puts whistle in his mouth after Olga Grossman had it in hers with no thought to germs. (Gillian)
• Mr. Marlene puts comb in his mouth at salon and doesn’t think of germs. (Huggy Bear and the Turkey)
• Hutch puts a cigarette in his mouth, lights it, and hands it over to Linda with no regard to germs. (Jojo)