Lindsay Monroe - On The Job

On The Job

In her first appearance on the series, it was stated that Monroe had worked as a CSI in Bozeman for three years when she was sought out by crime lab supervisor Mac Taylor to replace the recently-dismissed Aiden Burn, whom Mac had fired for tampering with crime-scene evidence. While, according to Stella Bonasera, her dedication and abilities in the lab first drew Mac's notice, she has since proven herself to be a good CSI in the field and also a competent interrogator. Danny called her 'Country Girl' when she exhibited her daring, tomboyish side during her first day at a crime scene. When she took down a much-larger fleeing suspect by shoving him into the side of a car, Mac jokingly asked her, "What do they feed you in Montana?" Occasionally, Lindsay has put her life on the line when she believed there was no other alternative, such as going undercover as a jewelry store robber to save the life of a hostage.

Because of her newcomer status during her first few weeks, Monroe was assigned the undesirable tasks such as sifting through tiger dung, recovering evidence from a pool full of personal lubricant, and dumpster diving to recover a discarded shotgun.

Lindsay abruptly leaves a crime scene almost as soon as she arrives in "Silent Night," forcing Stella to cover for her sudden absence. Lindsay is initially tight-lipped about her actions to Stella, but later comes clean about memories of the decade-old murder that she survived, which were triggered by her arrival at the crime scene and a trip to the morgue in which she saw the bodies of young women on the autopsy table.

Monroe was bitten by a snake that had escaped from a victim's automobile at a crime scene in episode 3.10 ("Sweet 16"). This plot development allowed a short-term hiatus for Anna Belknap, who was pregnant at the time.

In episode 3.14 ("The Lying Game") Monroe took a leave of absence to return to Montana, to testify for the state against a suspect arrested for the murder of her friends (the leave of absence coincided with Anna Belknap's real-life maternity leave from the show). She was shown in the witness box in episode 3.18 ("Sleight Out of Hand"), struggling to recount the events of the murder, when her co-worker Danny Messer entered the courtroom. Buoyed by his presence, she regained her composure and confidently gave testimony identifying the suspect as the gunman. Thanks in part to Lindsay's testimony, the suspect was found guilty.

Monroe appears to enjoy the police work. She often makes enthusiastic, detailed explanations of her findings, sometimes including demonstrations. To Stella's amusement, these demonstrations often involve Mac's typically involuntary participation.

During the Season 7 premiere ("The 34th Floor"), Detective Taylor honored Monroe by awarding her a "Combat Cross" for shooting Shane Casey, which continued from the previous season's finale. Monroe had been struggling from flashbacks of the shooting, causing her to storm out of her therapy session and throwing her medal in the trash, after denying having felt anything remorseful or regretful from the shooting. After rejecting a present from Stella, who had transferred to New Orleans, Monroe is comforted by Mac and Danny (who had retrieved her medal), assuring her that she deserved the medal for saving her daughter's life.