Exhibitors hawk unusual wares at homicide convention

Scott Sonner

Monday, March 8, 1999 | 9:55 a.m.

RENO, Nev. -- Conventions come and conventions go in the Biggest Little City in the World.

But the exhibitors at last week's annual meeting of the California homicide detectives offered a few products not available at your typical gathering of bowlers, plumbers or computer programmers.

Like the "Crime Scene Fanny Pack," a bargain at $65 from EVI-PAQ based in Tucson, Ariz.

"No more spilled fingerprint powder at crime scenes."

Or the $365 protractor with the laser mount for tracking bullet trajectory, "increasing accuracy and enhancing courtroom presentation."

And no self-respecting sleuth should be without the latest in crime-scene string dispensers.

"Four neon-bright colors of string enhance photo quality when marking blood spatters," according to EVI-PAQ, a maker of "innovative crime scene products."

The booth across the aisle specializes in blood spatters. Actually, cleaning them up.

Self-described "Grim Sweepers," K.J. Kadziauskas runs AAA Crime Scene Steam & Clean in Santa Paula, Calif., and John Birrer, president of Asepsis Technology, a trauma scene management based in Windsor, Calif.

They shared a booth to save money. It's filled with gruesome photographs of blood-soaked carpets and other hiddeous crime scenes.

"We don't do state fairs," Kadziauskas said.

"I did a job fair, a career day once, but I didn't put out the same photos," said Birrer, a former Los Angeles detective and investigator for the Sonoma County coroner's office.

This is their crowd.

"I know what these people had to deal with. I had to clean this stuff up as a cop," Birrer said.

"They deal with our customers - the people who get stuck with the bloody mess. It's not their job to clean it up but a lot of times they do it by default out of concern for the family."

California passed a law last year that requires trauma scene managers to be licensed by the state.

Birrer and Kadziauskas are glad. It was necessary to ensure public health and crack down on fly-by-night operations, "the rubber glove guys," Kadizauskas said.

"We wear full protective gear," she said. "There are so many health hazards. There are 26 diseases you can get."

In the past, people threw bloody towells, carpets, mattresses directly into landfills, Kadziauskas said.

"I remember one time with a 'decom,"' she said.

As in decomposing body.

"The body had been lying on the couch for three weeks and they just put it out on the curb for the garbage truck."

The duo's booth was adorned with a cardboard cutout of President Clinton with a real cigar stuck in his mouth, and a big quotation bubble:

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't use Asepsis Technology to clean Monica's dress."

Every bit of advertising helps, Kadziauskas said.

"It's not the kind of thing you can do an info-mercial and say, 'When Uncle George kills himself, call us."'