A&E is premiering an exciting new crime series sure to enthrall viewers with its blend of real time detective work and depictions of cutting edge forensic science. Here’s a press release I just received that has generated endless excitement at the ol’ Hellfireblogs homestead:

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TV, REAL-TIME CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS AND ADVANCED FORENSIC TECHNOLOGY ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER

New York, NY – February 27, 2008 – A&E pairs real-life criminal investigations with cutting-edge forensic technology for the first time on television in the groundbreaking original real-life series CRIME 360, premiering Thursday, March 6 at 10 PM ET/PT.

CRIME 360 takes viewers inside actual investigations as they unfold, using state-of-the-art 360-degree digital photography and incredible CGI (computer-generated imagery) visualizations to bring the evidence, and the evolving theories about what happened, to life. Each one-hour episode begins the moment detectives are called to the scene and follows the case until it is solved. From the start, viewers are part of the investigation – experiencing the crime scene from every angle, and the evidence at the microscopic level. As the case develops, and the theories change, the graphics evolve, culminating in a full-blown visualization of what really happened.

“CRIME 360 is the perfect blend of technology and the real-time edge-of-your seat suspense our audience has enjoyed with THE FIRST 48,” said Robert Sharenow, Senior Vice President of Non-Fiction and Alternative Programming, A&E Network. “Through the use of CGI, viewers will see forensics and evidence in a way they’ve never before been able to experience on television.”

Shot in Richmond, VA and Cleveland, OH, the forensic specialists in the police departments filmed for CRIME 360 have a new tool in their forensic arsenal: state-of-the-art 3D laser scanners, which enable investigators to remotely measure, model and diagram crime scenes with significant detail, preserving the precise original crime scene forever. Long after the crime scene is gone, investigators can virtually return to the scene of the crime to test out theories and compare evidence results.

Piqued your interest? Check out the plot summaries for the first four episodes:

(March 6, 2008) Crime 360. Welcome to Homicide. On a hot summer day in Richmond, VA, Detective Shane Wait is called to a local apartment complex where a murder victim has been bound and stuffed in the trunk of the car. With no witnesses and no original crime scene, the detective has to heavily rely on the forensic evidence gathered from the victim’s body and the car. Waite has forensic tech Detective Faith Flippo test the vehicle for blood, DNA, and anything else that might help identify the killer. A break in the case occurs when Waite gets a 911 tip from a witness who said he that heard two gunshots the night of the murder at his apartment complex and saw two men entering the building. CC HD [TV14]

(March 13, 2008) Crime 360. Fatal Feud. Two men who live next to each other in a housing project get into a deadly argument. One is shot and killed. Detectives Crewell and Williams take the two men’s girlfriends back to headquarters to find out what happened. One story tells of murder, the other self-defense. Detectives try to unravel the different accounts given by the girlfriends. The key may lie with a gun that was recovered from a trash can behind the house. A Federal lab tests a bullet found at the scene and the gun to determine if it is the murder weapon. Meanwhile, Crewell and Williams try to find holes in the girlfriend’s stories. As the girlfriend’s stories start to fall apart, the suspect on the run is feeling the heat. CC HD [TV14]

(March 20, 2008) Crime 360. Deadly Secrets. In Cleveland, Ohio, lead Homicide Detective Wally Everett and his partner Detective Mike Smith, are called out to a crime scene where a body lays hidden between some hedges and the porch of the victim’s grandmother’s house. The victim, a male, is face down. Strewn around the front lawn are seven bullet casings, evidence suggesting that the victim was shot multiple times. As detectives investigate the immediate area, they discover clues of the victim’s alternate lifestyle–and they wonder if there may be a connection between that and his murder. Each piece of evidence takes them closer to their suspect and his motive. CC HD [TV14]

(March 27, 2008) Crime 360. Blood on the Tracks. In Cleveland, Detectives Tim Entenok and Joselito Sandoval are called to a crime scene where a missing person is found dead in a 4-foot-diameter sewage drain, in a remote section of a park. The body is found 300 feet deep in the pipe, which has been draining a constant flow of rainwater. When Entenok takes a closer look at the body, he notices that it is maggot-infested: an indication that the body has been in the pipe for over a week. The victim’s head seems to have bullet holes, but the detectives can’t be certain. Only an autopsy will determine the cause of death. Meanwhile Sandoval scours the nearby train tracks for additional evidence. A few rocks, stained with a blood-like substance, are collected. The investigation seems to go cold with no leads until a female witness gives them a much-needed break in the case. CC HD [TV14]

This sounds like the crime scene show true crime aficionados have been waiting for, it premieres Thursday March 6th at 10:00pm, on A&E. Mark your calendars!

Update: Here’s a some sneak peaks for you:

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Looks awesome.