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Criminal Profiling Part Two

Wednesday, 28 October 2009 15:51 Katherine Steck-Flynn Behavioral Evidence - Criminal Profiling

This part two of a series dealing with criminal profiling and serial murder. This is a vast and ever changing field of forensic science. In this issue I hope to introduce you to the beginning of the FBI's profiling system and how it is used to catch killers. Next month issue will be an examination of some famous cases which will illustrate how these methods apply to real life situations.

In 1972 the BSU (Behavioral Science Unit) of the FBI was formed. Special agents Teten and Mullany continued to lecture on profiling techniques. Due to the extremely heavy caseload under which they were working several new instructors where added to the unit. New members included Robert Ressler, Roy Hazelwood and Dick Ault. Several years later John Douglas would also be added to the team (Innes, 2002)

Criminal Profiling Part One

Wednesday, 28 October 2009 15:46 Katherine Steck-Flynn Behavioral Evidence - Criminal Profiling

Some time ago when my children where young they, like all other children, worried about Monsters. I did the obligatory "under the bed check" and I even had a "magic flashlight which "poofed" monsters. At that time I had been immersed in the study of serial murders and forensic science for several years and dearly wish the magic flashlight existed.

One of the middle children was extremely independent and tended to wander off with her younger brother in pursuit. There were several episodes where I found myself running frantically through my neighborhood in tears searching for the two youngest. I eventually found them playing at a stone bridge near our house. In an attempt to prevent them from wandering off to play at the bridge I told them a monster lived under the bridge. The only thing that could protect them was me. They both remember this story and the youngest still asks if there really was a monster under the bridge. "There could have been." I think to myself. I say "no I just told you that so you would not come down here to play by yourself." I will have to tell him about the real monsters soon.

Violent Crime Scene Analysis: Modus Operandi, Signature, and Staging

Wednesday, 23 September 2009 14:08 John Douglas and Corinne Munn Behavioral Evidence - Criminal Profiling

By John E. Douglas, Ed.D. Special Agent
Chief of the Investigative Support Unit FBI Academy

and

Corinne Munn
Served as Honors Intern FBI Academy

This Article Originally Appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, February 1992.

Most crime scenes tell a story. And like most stories, crime scenes have characters, a plot, a beginning, a middle, and hopefully, a conclusion. However, in contrast to authors who lead their readers to a predetermined ending, the final disposition of a crime scene depends on the investigators assigned to the case. The investigators' abilities to analyze the crime scene and to determine the who, what, how, and why govern how the crime scene story unfolds.

To ensure a satisfactory ending, that is, the apprehension and prosecution of the violent crime offender, investigators must realize that the outcome depends on their insight into the dynamics of human behavior. Speech patterns, writing styles, verbal and nonverbal gestures, and other traits and patterns give shape to human behavior. These individual characteristics work in concert to cause each person to act, react, function, or perform in a unique and specific way. This individualistic behavior usually remains consistent, regardless of the activity being performed.

The Lethal Triad: Understanding the Nature of Isolated Extremist Groups

Monday, 21 September 2009 12:13 Kevin M. Gilmartin Behavioral Evidence - Criminal Profiling

This article originally appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin September 1996.

A better understanding of isolated extremist groups can help law enforcement prevent them from lashing out against society.

Formerly an officer with the Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff's Department, Dr. Gilmartin currently is a police psychologist and private consultant based in Tucson, Arizona.

Law enforcement agencies increasingly are being called upon to deal with extremist groups. These groups can run the gamut from religious cults to isolated communes of political extremists. While the vast majority of these organizations do not threaten society and merely practice their constitutional freedoms, others pose significant risk to society and require law enforcement attention.

Groups that express terrorist motivations, attempt to engage in "religious acts" that violate criminal statutes, or propose outright antigovernment insurgency exist across the nation. Although the causes they espouse range from a desire for religious salvation to a quest for national preservation, these groups share many striking similarities. Collectively, they have certain core features that law enforcement officers need to understand in order to resolve conflicts with members of such groups.

The Criminal Sexual Sadist

Monday, 21 September 2009 12:11 Hazelwood, Dietz, Warren Behavioral Evidence - Criminal Profiling

This Article Originally Appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, February 1992.

Any investigator who has taken a statement from a tortured victim or who has worked the crime scene of a sexually sadistic homicide will never forget the experience. Human cruelty reveals itself in many kinds of offenses, but seldom more starkly than in the crimes of sexual sadists. This article describes the more commonly encountered actions of sexual sadists and differentiates sexual sadism from other cruel acts. It also describes the common characteristics of sexually sadistic crimes and offers investigators suggestions that they should follow when confronted with the crimes of the sexually sadistic offender.

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