dam Ross is a lab tech for the New York City Crime Lab. He makes his first appearance in season two, helping out in the Audio/Visual department (episode 208, "Bad Beat"). However, his skills are rather eclectic and diverse—Adam also works with trace evidence and has the qualifications and master's degree necessary to run a PCR DNA test to check for the presence of HIV (episode 320, "What Schemes May Come"). He even occasionally accompanies the field operatives to the crime scene in order to aid evidence collection or to assist in reconstruction.
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, he claims that temperatures below 85 degrees Fahrenheit are cold, and he dislikes snow (episode 313, "Obsession"). While observing a suspect on video, he recognizes her instinctual flich as shying from an anticipated blow. He admits that "[his] father was a bully," indicating that Adam may have been abused as a child (episode 315, "Some Buried Bones"). This might explain to some degree his rather characteristic nervousness around figures of authority, such as Supervisors Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera, despite Adam's wide-ranging scientific knowledge and high qualifications for his job. Taylor forcefully admonishes Adam in front of Stella after the younger man gave key information regarding a case to Deputy Inspector Gerrard (played by Carmen Argenziano), instead of calling Mac down directly. Adam is deeply hurt by his rebuke, but later is instrumental in saving the life of the next victim of the same serial killer, thanks to his knowledge of a specific hotel where his uncle used to work (and where the victim is being held captive in the basement). In the same episode, he also gives Stella the wonderful news that she is HIV-negative after performing the PCR-DNA test for her (episode 321, "Past Imperfect"). He previously dated a Suicide Girl according to episode 305, "Oedipus Hex," much to the surprise of colleague Danny Messer.
After a successful raid on a warehouse, Adam is left alone with two uniformed officer to process the scene when Mac escorts the captured cocaine to the lab for analysis. Some Irish mobsters, in a plot to recover their drugs, take Adam and the two cops hostage. They torture Adam, forcing him to reveal information about the lab, and take his personal ID badge to facilitate access. When Danny Messer arrives at the warehouse to assist Adam with the crime scene, they take him captive, as well, despite Adam's attempt to call out a warning. Adam, at Danny's direction, bravely and quietly recovers a caustic chemical from his field kit as Danny distracts their captors. Danny later uses the chemical to disable one of their captors. Adam himself saves the lives of the two (formerly uniformed) cops, who were gagged with duct tape and disguised as the hostage-takers, when Detective Flack and his men storm the warehouse (episode 324, "Snow Day").
As the fourth season begins, ten days later in the series continuity, Adam is shown to be in a relationship with fellow lab tech Kendall, with whom he also shares a playful professional competitiveness (episode 401, "Can You Hear Me Now?").
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