Columbo and the like generally relied on your cop working out who did it via some logical but unprovable means and then setting things up so they confess or otherwise fuck up and drop themselves in the shit.  The forensics/legal variety tend to be just the system chugging away until they hit a threshold for conviction.
Chess or poker vs. a seaside coin pusher with similar entertainment values. 

 Columbo's greatest weapon is how harmless and incompetent he looks and acts. 

 The anvil of incompetence and the hammer of being really fucking annoying.