Take notes, class:

Today, the use of bleach, which destroys DNA, is not unusual in a planned homicide, said the senior criminalist from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.Klein and other experts attribute such sophistication to television crime dramas like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which give criminals helpful tips on how to cover up evidence.

Prosecutors have complained for years about "the CSI effect" on juries - an expectation in every trial for the type of high-tech forensic evidence the show's investigators uncover. It also appears the popular show and its two spinoffs could be affecting how some crimes are committed.

"They're actually educating these potential killers even more," said Capt. Ray Peavy, also of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and head of the homicide division. "Sometimes I believe it may even encourage them when they see how simple it is to get away with on television."

Nothing like a little "crime scene 101." How's that for "educational television?" With all of the controversy over violent video games, this stuff gets by without any of the usual really complaining about its damaging effects on society. Granted, it'll just mean that cops will have to work harder, but there's a big difference between a video game that is violent and sexual and a series on tv that is almost a how-to guide for criminals when it comes to crime scene sterilization.

The nutjobs have been arguing for years that games like Doom, Quake and Unreal teach kids how to go on shooting rampages, despite the obvious fact that video games do not prepare anyone for how to use an actual firearm. No one ever became a military sniper by fragging people in Unreal Tournament at a distance with the sniper rifle, but people are getting a lot better at destroying the evidence at crime scenes thanks to these shows. Fiddling while the city burns...