Violent Crime Scene Analysis: Modus Operandi, Signature, and Staging
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- Category: Criminal Profiling & Psychology
- Published on Thursday, 08 September 2011 20:35
- Written by John E. Douglas
- Hits: 3174
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.
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Child Abuse: Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy
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- Category: Criminal Profiling & Psychology
- Published on Thursday, 08 September 2011 20:24
- Written by Kathryn A. Hanon
- Hits: 5736
By Kathryn A. Hanon
Investigator Orlando, Florida, Police Department
This article originally appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, December 1991.
The range of investigations for modern day law enforcement officers is unparalleled in the history of criminology. Investigators must use innovative techniques in order to solve today''s more sophisticated, bizarre criminal acts.
For example, cases of an obscure form of child abuse--Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP)--are being seen more and more frequently. MSBP is a form of child abuse that involves long-term physical abuse, usually by a parent.
However, in order to conduct MSBP investigations effectively, it is necessary to understand the complexity of the disorder and the unorthodox investigative procedures that may be necessary to prosecute the case successfully. This article discusses the disorder and how officers should approach the investigation of this crime.
The Lethal Triad: Understanding the Nature of Isolated Extremist Groups
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- Category: Criminal Profiling & Psychology
- Published on Thursday, 08 September 2011 20:17
- Written by Kevin M. Gilmartin
- Hits: 850
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 anti-government 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.
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The Criminal Sexual Sadist
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- Category: Criminal Profiling & Psychology
- Published on Thursday, 08 September 2011 20:08
- Written by Robert R. Hazelwood
- Hits: 2610
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.
The Criminal Behavior of the Serial Rapist
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- Category: Criminal Profiling & Psychology
- Published on Thursday, 08 September 2011 19:56
- Written by Robert R. Hazelwood
- Hits: 1200
By Robert R. Hazelwood, M.S.
Special Agent Behavioral Science Instruction/Research Unit Quantico, VA
and
Janet Warren, D.S.W.
Institute of Psychiatry and Law University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
This Article Originally Appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, February 1990.
From 1984 to 1986, FBI Special Agents assigned to the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) interviewed 41 men who were responsible for raping 837 victims. Previous issues of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin provided an introduction to this research1 and the characteristics of the rapists and their victims.2 This article, however, describes the behavior of these serial rapists during and following the commission of their sexual assaults. The information presented is applicable only to the men interviewed; it is not intended to be generalized to all men who rape.
