Hi Guys
For all you considering this line of work...
Who do you call when someone’s brain is splattered against your kitchen wall?Neal Smithers, president of the Bay Area’s Crime Scene Cleaners. As you’re about to find out, he’ll clean up anything.
How did you get into the biz?
Neal Smithers: It all started in 1996. I was studying to become a mortician. One night I was sitting on the couch watching Pulp Fiction when I saw that scene where John Travolta shoots that guy’s face off in the car. Then they brought in “The Wolf” (played by Harvey Keitel) to clean it up. And I thought: This is it. I did some research and it kind of all blew up.
TW: What’s the turnover rate for your employees?
NS: It’s high. We lose them every month.
TW: Do you have a screening process when you’re interviewing prospective employees?
NS: Most definitely. The first thing they do is come to the Bay Area and ride along with our crews for three days. In the meantime, we put them through criminal background checks. If they pass, and still show some interest, we bring them back to the Bay Area for a month and get them certified.
TW: What is a not-so-desirable quality you’ve seen in someone who wants to work for you?
NS: We get a whole range of people. For example, we just hired a guy in Boston who quit dental school at Harvard to do this. On the other hand, we just let a guy go who had sleeves of tattoos and sharpened teeth. He was a gothic freak. Our primary clients are Fortune 500 corporations—motels and other huge chains. Then there’s mom and dad: When they lose Johnny all over the walls, they don’t want some freak coming in their house.
TW: When did you first see a dead body?
NS: I guess it would be the first crime scene cleanup job I had. It was a lady in Richmond who killed herself because her cancer came out of remission. I got the call and did it. I learned as I went. At first, I didn’t know diddley squat. I went there with just a few brushes and solvents.
TW: What’s the most common cleanup?
NS: Natural death with decomposition on the floor. You know, where the body rots for several days or so.
TW: How do you get that out?
NS: We clean it and disinfect it. That’s pretty much it.
TW: How much would it cost to clean that up?
NS: Our maximum price is $1,800. We survey the scene and give an estimate. If they like the price we do it. For a really messy suicide, for example, we’ll charge close to the max, like around $1,500.
TW: What’s the most difficult cleanup you’ve ever had?
NS: All cleanups are difficult. We don’t even bid against companies anymore. We’ll get the call when no other cleanup company will touch it. For instance, we did a job where a lady ran a puppy mill. She had over 300 poodles in her house at one time or another. We had to take out walls and floors because it was covered in feces. That’s difficult—so is the scene after Johnny goes nuts and blows himself and his family away.
TW: How often do you see maggots?
NS: Just about everyday.
TW: Is it true that when people die, they sh*t their pants?
NS: When a person dies, rigor mortis kicks in—and that will stay in place for about 12 hours. You know, that’s where you’re stiff. Then when the rigor mortis lets go, the body purges. And that’s going to be primarily liquid. It’s going to come through every orifice it can—and if it can’t do that it’s going to come through the skin. So yeah, you sh*t your pants.
TW: Does anything shock you anymore?
NS: The families. We’re talking about grandma who rotted on the floor for 30 days. Obviously no family had been in contact with her for a while. Then the family shows up and they start arguing over shi*t like it’s their f*cking birthright. It’s disgusting.
TW: Have you ever become sick while on a job?
NS: I haven’t. Other employees get sick all the time.
TW: Do you ever eat just after a cleanup?
NS: I can. I can eat at the job. I don’t have a problem with it. I’ve seen it all, so nothing really bothers me anymore.
TW: Have you ever found any evidence of a crime while cleaning up?
NS: Once. A guy robbed a hotdog stand in Oakland. The owner shot him. The guy ran down the block and into someone’s house. He then got into bed with them and bled all over the place before taking off again. While we were cleaning, we found his gloves.
TW: Has anyone ever wanted you to clean up a mess they made, but hadn’t contacted the police about?
NS: Absolutely. In fact, the guy in Palo Alto who was just convicted for pushing his wife down the steps called us. This doesn’t happen very often though—maybe one time in five years.
TW: What do crime scene cleanup guys talk about over a beer or two?
NS: Jobs [laughs]. No doubt about it. If you don’t talk and joke about it, you’re going to become one of our clients—if you know what I mean.
TW: How well does Hollywood portray gruesome scenes?
NS: Not very accurately. There’s no way to portray the smell, of course. It looks a lot different than people think. It’s just a sludge-like, maggot-infested, smelly nightmare.
And a video link...
http://www.newsnet5.com/specialassignment/9269660/detail.html#So there you have it...
Regards
Martin
