ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, November 9, 1996             TAG: 9611110008
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: A-5  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: MIAMI
SOURCE: PAISLEY DODDS ASSOCIATED PRESS


FLORIDA COMPANY CLEANS UP AFTER GRUESOME CRIMES

THE ODDITIES OF THE BUSINESS have been captured in Quentin Tarantino's new dark comedy, ``Curdled.''

The blast from the package bomb killed its victim instantly and blew the hinges off the front door. Blood soaked the wallboards and stained the carpets.

Michael Hosto was paid to clean up the mess.

``It's a dirty job,'' said Hosto, owner of Crime Scene Cleanup, a Fort Lauderdale company specializing in removing evidence of violent crimes, including blood stains and body parts.

In the past, crime scenes were mopped up by police officers, janitors and even victims' families.

``The way I look at this business is that we're providing a service to family members,'' said Hosto, 30. ``Nothing more, nothing less.''

The oddities of the business have been captured in Quentin Tarantino's new dark comedy, ``Curdled.'' The film is about a Florida crime scene cleanup company much like Hosto's.

He started his company in 1993 as an offshoot of Fireworks Restoration Co., which rebuilds houses damaged by floods, hurricanes or bombs.

``Before we could rebuild a house, we would first have to dispose of the biological waste,'' Hosto said. ``The business just kind of evolved.''

The crime cleanup service averages about six jobs a month, employs four cleaners and covers a region from Orlando in central Florida south to Miami. Prices range from $100 for a basic job to $54,000 for an extensive cleanup, like the damage from the package bomb last April in a home in Plantation, near Fort Lauderdale. That took a month to complete.

Once Hosto gets the go-ahead from insurance companies, his cleanup crew dons sterile suits to avoid contact with blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis. They wear full-face respirators to filter the air.

The state licenses Hosto's company to dispose of biological waste. Workers place blood in special receptacles, replace contaminated drywall and remove and burn soiled rugs and carpets.

But the hard part of the job isn't the cleanup. It's being prepared.

Sgt. Bill Garrison, supervisor of the Metro-Dade Police Department's Health Services, said seeing crime scenes can upset even the most hardened police officer. He said it's important people know what to expect.

``It's difficult to find people to do the job,'' Hosto said. ``Usually, they either have a medical or veterinary background.''

After medical examiners remove the bodies and detectives bag the evidence, it's common to find clues left behind. Once workers found a pistol at a murder scene.

``Sometimes the scenes are hard to forget,'' said Lisa Stein, a 23-year-old employee of the company. ``Sometimes I want to read the newspapers to find out more about what happened.'' ``I know I don't have a very pleasant job,'' she said. ``But I can see myself doing it for quite a while.''


LENGTH: Medium:   63 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Michael Hosto, owner of Crime Scene Cleanup (left), 

and his brother Christopher pose in the special suits used to avoid

contact with blood-borne viruses. color.

by CNB