Editor 's note : This story is the second of a three-part series focusing on the FBI as the agency hits the 100-year mark . A lab worker examines a tire tread at the FBI 's famed crime lab in Quantico , Virginia . QUANTICO , Virginia ( CNN ) -- Behind closed doors , the scientists and agents of the FBI scrutinize fibers , poisons , explosives , DNA and just about any other shred of evidence that might help solve crimes . They ca n't talk about specific cases they 're working . Yet the work they 're doing can put people behind bars or lead to major advances in crime-solving techniques . As the FBI hits the 100-year-mark and continues to evolve to meet the demands of the world , CNN visited the state-of-the-art crime lab in Quantico , Virginia . It 's the same lab that inspired the hit television series `` CSI . '' Dozens of experts from an array of fields work under one roof . `` I think that 's what really made a name for the FBI lab , '' said Robert Fram , chief of the FBI 's scientific analysis section . `` We were able to get involved in a lot of very high-profile cases and get it done completely . '' Get a behind-the-scenes look at the lab » . The lab has played roles in everyday cases as well as some of the most significant crime investigations in the nation 's history , from the assassination of President Kennedy to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie , Scotland , in 1988 to the September 11 terrorist attacks . The lab now employs 500 agents , scientists and other personnel , far from its origins in 1932 . Back then , there was only one agent working in a single room in Washington . His name was Charles Appel , a handwriting analysis expert . Appel 's background allowed the lab to play an important role in one of its first big cases : the kidnapping and killing of the toddler son of aviator Charles Lindbergh . Appel linked the handwriting from ransom notes to a suspect , Bruno Richard Hauptmann , who was convicted . Since then , the lab has been on the cutting edge of crime-solving techniques . The advent of DNA analysis was a revolution in forensic science , and it 's a key part of what the FBI lab does . See photos of the FBI as it turns 100 » . Richard Guerrieri is a chief DNA analyst at Quantico . `` Our unit handles anywhere from 1,500 to 1,800 submissions a year of evidence , '' Guerrieri said during a tour of the lab . Often , that involves examining clothes for bodily fluids that can help identify a suspect or a crime victim . The DNA unit is one of the first areas of the lab to use robotics to speed up the processing of evidence . Another scientific advancement is the Direct Analysis in Real Time machine , which can quickly identify substances such as poisons and explosives . `` The whole premise behind this technology is that almost every chemical we analyze has its own unique weight , '' said Dr. Marc LeBeau , chief of the lab 's chemistry unit . Lab officials say their advanced techniques are essential to fighting crime . But they also say that sometimes , those advances can unrealistically raise expectations . Television shows like `` CSI '' show speedy DNA or fingerprint matches and criminals in handcuffs in just one hour , something lab workers say does n't happen in the real world . `` We work on some cases for years at a time and keep putting more and more evidence together , '' said Carlo Rosati , a forensic examiner in firearms and tool marks . FBI officials say many juries expect DNA and fingerprints to be found at every crime scene . `` Why is n't there a fingerprint ; why is n't there DNA ? '' Fram asked , describing jurors ' expectations . `` And they 're going as far as feeling that they ca n't convict someone because you did n't find A , B or C , where you just do n't always find those things . '' The FBI lab has had some missteps . In 2004 , authorities matched a fingerprint belonging to Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield to evidence found at the site of the Madrid , Spain , train bombings . Mayfield was cleared , sued the FBI and received a $ 2 million settlement . In the 1990s , a Justice Department investigation found flaws in lab analysis and trial testimony in some cases , which led to reforms . `` No one 's infallible , '' Fram said . `` A mistake can be made . The idea is to minimize it . And the idea is to act on it if it was made and correct it , and make sure it does n't happen again . '' Officials at the lab say they are strict about handling evidence . When a CNN crew visited in June , it was not allowed into areas where scientists were working with real evidence . CNN was shown demonstrations with test materials . Karen Lanning , chief of the evidence control unit , said evidence has to be dealt with correctly from the second it arrives at the FBI . `` It 's critical for every case , whether it 's to put somebody who really should be in jail or to help exonerate somebody . It 's somebody 's life that we 're dealing with , so it has to be taken very seriously . ''
FBI crime lab began in 1932 with one person ; it now employs 500 . Quantico , Virginia , lab processes hundreds of pieces of evidence each day . It inspired ` ` CSI , '' but lab forensic expert says the show is unrealistic . Reports have been made on some big cases : ` ` No one 's infallible ''