Profiling

1
Profiling
2
Plan for Today

• What is Profiling?
• Offender typologies
• Problems with profiling
• Geographical profiling

3
What is Profiling?

• A technique for identifying the major personality
  and behavioural features of an offender based on
  an analysis of the crimes they have committed

4
Goals of Profiling

1. Suspect prioritization
2. New lines of enquiry
3. Interview strategies
4. Predict dangerousness
5. Flush out offender

5
Profiling

• What do profilers do?
• provide investigators with a personality
  composite, behavioral tendencies and demographic
  features of the unknown offender
• Also, crime and threat analysis, investigative
  assistance, strategies for interviews and
  prosecution, and expert testimony
• Mostly homicide, also rape, arson, bombing,
  espionage, stalking, extortion, kidnapping,
  terrorism and product tampering
• TYPES Criminal profiling, Geographical
  profiling,

6
Profiling

• Criminal Profile may include
• Gender, age, race, occupation, socioeconomic
  status, mental status, area of residence,
  educational and family background, social habits
  and probable arrest history
• Geographical profiling area of base

7
Criminal Profiling.

• The process of inferring distinctive personality
  characteristics of individuals responsible for
  committing crimes has commonly been referred to
  as criminal profiling

8
Criminal Profiling

• A profile generalised from behavioral and
  demographic characteristics shared by other
  criminals. Product of statistical
  characteristics and generalisation.
• Ex 80 of all serial killers that attack
  college students in parking lots are white males,
  age 20-35, who live with their mother and drive
  Volkwagen vans.
• Our offender has attacked three female students
  in parking lots.
• Therefore our offender is a white male, age
  20-35, who lives with his mother and drive a VW
  van...
• Assumptions
• Individual behavior and motivation can be
  predicted from the study of individuals who share
  similar behaviors and motivations.

9
Different Types of Criminal Profiling

• Inductive Profiling
• Profiling an offender from what is known about
  other offenders
• Deductive profiling
• Profiling an offender from evidence relating to
  the crime of that offender

10
Inductive Profiling
80 of serial killers who attack people in
parking lots are white males
Our offender has attacked three people in parking
lots, therefore it is likely that our offender is
a white male
11
Deductive Profiling
Body of a female victim is found with no blood or
clothing at the scene
Location is not the primary crime site due to the
lack of blood and clothing found at the scene
12
The profilers dictionnary

• Modus Operandi (standard procedure)
• Behaviors committed by the offender during the
  commission of the crime which are necessary to
  complete the crime.
• Can vary as the offender becomes more
  experienced
• MO ensures success, protect identity, offer
  escape dynamic
• Signature
• Behaviors the offender has to do to fulfill an
  emotional need or a fantasy.
• Thematic nature, it tends to be more stable
  over time.
• Needs of the offender often ritualized
• ex staging, overkill, bondage, etc.

13
Example of MO and Signature

• An unknown subject rapes a woman in her home,
  using a rope garrote to control her while he
  rapes her, causing little or no other physical
  damage. The offense takes 10 or 15 minutes and
  then the offender leaves through the back door of
  the residence which shows signs of forced entry.
• Over the next two months, two more rapes are
  committed by the same rapist with roughly the
  same MO, each taking about ten to fifteen
  minutes. Investigators are able to make the
  connections right away because of DNA evidence
  collected at the various scenes. During rape
  number three, it is noted, the victim struggled a
  great deal and very heavy ligature furrows are
  observed on her neck.
• A week later, a fourth victim emerges. The fourth
  victim explains in her statement how the offender
  brought her in and out of consciousness
  intentionally using a rope garrote, and how the
  offender spent almost an hour with her. DNA
  evidence is unavailable for this fourth rape is
  victim number four related?

14
Example of MO and Signature

• All else being equal, this is the same offender.
• What has occurred is that the offender, over
  time, has eroticized the use of the garrote.
  During the first rapes, the garrote was a means
  to acquire and maintain control of the victim (MO
  Oriented).
• Over time and experience, the offender developed
  a sexual desire to strangle his victims while
  raping them (Fantasy Oriented).
• This is not surprising given the strong
  association of the garrote with the act of rape
  during the first few attacks.
• The presence of an object or behavior during sex
  can quite easily lead to it's eroticization and
  inclusion in fantasy and subsequently fantasy
  behavior.

15
How do you create a Profile?

• Behavior reflects personality!
• Actions before, during and after crime
• Look at what offender chose to do and what he
  chose not to do. (Behavioral fingerprint)
• Signature
• What did he do that he did not have to?

16
How do you create a Profile?

• Look at evidence, police and autopsy reports,
  crime scene photos, i.e., learn everything about
  the offender
• Use inductive and deductive reasoning, experience
  of violent behavior, facts of particular case,
  and statistical probabilities.
• In depth interviews with violent offenders

17
Organized - Disorganized typology
Source Robert Ressler, Ann W. Burgess, and John
E. Douglas, Sexual Homicides Patterns and
Motives. New York Free Press, 1992, pp. 121-122,
130.
18
PROFILE CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIZED AND
DISORGANIZED MURDERS
Organized Disorganized
Average or above-average IQ Below-average IQ
Socially adept Socially inadequate, often never married, fearful of people, may have developed well-defined delusional system
Skilled-occupation employment history, but uneven work history, sometimes has job below abilities Poor work history
Sexually competent Sexually incompetent, may never have achieved sexual intimacy
High birth order in family, often first son Low birth order in family
Fathers work generally stable Fathers work history unstable
Parental discipline perceived by offender as inconsistent Harsh parental discipline
May feel angry or depressed at time of crime, but reports himself as calm during it Recurring obsessional and/or primitive throughts, at time of crime is confused and distressed, acts impulsively under stress
May use alcohol prior to crime Limited use of alcohol
Precipitating situational stress, e.g. financial, marital, relationships with females, and employment problems Minimal situational stress
Usually living with partner Lives alone or with parental figure
Likely to have car in good condition Usually finds victims in his geographic area, lives in close proximity to scene
Follows crime in newspapers, clippings about crimes committed often found at offenders home, may take souvenirs from victim or scene Little interest in news media
8-9
19
THE ORGANIZED/DISORGANIZED OFFENDER

• The organized/disorganized offender is an FBI
  model. The organized/disorganized offender
  dichotomy has a strong crime scene focus.
• Stage 1 Collecting inputs, which are essential
  for accurate profiling
• State 2 Using Decision Process Models, which is
  the process of organizing and arranging the
  inputs into meaning patterns
• Stage 3 making the crime assessment, which is
  the reconstruction of the sequence of events and
  the behavior of both the victim and the offender

20
THE ORGANIZED/DISORGANIZED OFFENDER

• Stage 4 Developing the criminal profile, a
  process which addresses the type of person who
  committed the crime and that individual's
  behavioral organization in relation to the crime,
  including background information, physical
  characteristics, habits, beliefs, values,
  pre-offense behavior leading to the crime and
  post-offense behavior

21
THE ORGANIZED/DISORGANIZED OFFENDER

• Stage 5 Continuing the on-going investigation by
  those assigned to it, with the profiler making
  adjustments in the profile if fresh information
  warrants it and being available to discuss the
  case with those assigned on an as-needed basis
• Stage 6 Following the apprehension, reviewing
  the agreement between the outcome and the various
  stages of the profiling process are examined

22
Organized, Disorganized, Mixed typology
23
Organized crime scene predicts

• Premeditation, manipulative, cunning, deliberate
  and methodical. Psychopathic (narcissistic and
  remorseless)
• Pride in appearance, articulate, outgoing,
  charming
• Crimes and aftermath well planned and executed
• Chooses targets carefully, brings own weapon,
  tries to conceal the body
• CONTROL (a thinking criminal)
• Older, more mature, leave general area (drive)

24
Disorganized Crime Scene predicts

• Loner, few social skills and ties, feels
  inadequate
• Sloppy unkempt appearance (home), haphazard
  impulse crimes against victims of opportunity.
• More likely to attack family, friends, neighbors
  or acquaintances
• Frenzied crime scene sparked by drugs, mental
  illness, or inexperience. Mutilation and overkill
  
• Symbols of disorganization reflect delusions
• Blitz attack, leaving victim
• Attack close to home, walk or public
  transportation

25
Mixed crime scene

• Young offender making transition to organized
  predator
• Short temper but plans revenge without taking
  unnecessary risks
• Situational factors (inability to control victim)
  leading to improvised behavior
• More than one perpetrator

26
The profilers dictionnary (cond)

• Serial murder, Spree murder, and Mass murder
• Serial three or more separate events with a
  cooling off period between homicides)
• Spree killing at 2 or more locations with no
  emotional cooling off period between homicides.
• Mass anything more than 3 victims in one
  location and within one event.

27
Homicidal trends

• Serial killers
• generally target strangers, consistency in victim
  profile
• Cooling off period
• Trophies
• At least 3 victims

28
THE HOLMES TYPOLOGY

• ACT-FOCUSED (quick kill)
• 1 - THE VISIONARY - hears voices or sees visions
  that tell him to kill (psychotic), the voices
  tend to be either God or the devil, legitimating
  the violence.
• 2- THE MISSIONARY - goes on hunting "missions" to
  eradicate a group of people (prostitutes, Jews,
  etc.) from face of earth, seems like "fine young
  man" to neighbors.
• PROCESS-FOCUSED (slow kill)
• 3 - THE COMFORT-ORIENTED HEDONIST - takes
  pleasure from killing, but also gets some profit
  or personal gain from it. (mostly women)
• 4 - THE LUST-ORIENTED HEDONIST - associates
  sexual pleasure with murder, sex while killing
  and necrophilia are eroticized experiences.
• 5 - THE THRILL-ORIENTED HEDONIST - gets a "rush"
  or "high" from killing, an elixir of thrills,
  excitement, and euphoria at victim's final
  anguish.
• 6 - THE POWER/CONTROL FREAK - takes pleasure from
  manipulation and domination (sociopath),
  experiences a "rush" or "high" from victim's
  misery.

29
Serial Killing

• Hunting grounds for serial killers
• 1. sin strips
• 2. gay bars or single bars
• 3. skid row areas
• 4. college campuses
• Sites and zones
• 1. VICTIM'S LAST KNOWN LOCATION
• 2. COMFORT ZONE (activity spaces, hunting
  grounds, stalking sites)
• 3. BUFFER ZONE (offender's residential
  location)
• 4. ATTACK SITE (edge of comfort zone actual
  crime scene)
• 5. HOLDING SITE (sometimes used)
• 6. VEHICLE DISPOSAL SITE
• 7. PROPERTY DISPOSAL SITE
• 8. BODY DUMP SITE or DISPOSAL ZONE

30
Most frequently selected victims Hickey (2002
399 serial killers)
Strangers (70) 1. College students, prostitutes 2. Little boys and girls 3. Hitchhikers 4. People at home 5. Handicapped people 6. Store-owners, landlords 7. People walking street 8. Older women 9. Police officers 10. Derelicts/transients 11. People responding to newspaper ads Acquaintances (20) 1. Friends and neighbours 2. Girlfriends and boyfriends 3. Waitresses and prostitutes 4. Co-workers 5. Landlords, employers, guards 6. Gang members 7. Patients Family (10) 1. Own children 2. Husbands 3. Wives 4. In-laws 5. Nephews, nieces 6. Own mother 7. Sibling 8. Grandparents
31
Male Serial Killers

• Methods
• 1. Firearms mainly (41)
• 2. Suffocation (37)
• 3. Stabbing (34)
• 4. Bludgeoning (26)
• 5. Firearms only (19)
• 6. Poison (11)
• 7. Drowning (3)
• 8. Other (2)

• Motives
• 1. Sex (55)
• 2. Control (29)
• 3. Money (19)
• 4. Enjoyment (16)
• 5. Racism and hatred (11)
• 6. Mental problems (6)
• 7. Cult-inspired (5)
• 8. Attention (2)

32
Female Serial Killers

• Methods
• 1. Poison (80)
• 2. Shooting (20)
• 3. Bludgeoning (16)
• 4. Suffocation (16)
• 5. Stabbing (11)
• 6. Drowning (5)

• Motives
• 1. Money (74)
• 2. Control (13)
• 3. Enjoyment (11)
• 4. Sex (10)
• 5. Drugs, cult involvement, cover up, or feelings
  of inadequacy (24)

33
Spree killers

• No cooling off period
• Different, indiscriminate locations
• Victims are generally strangers or are
  utilitarian murders
• High suicide rate
• Often suicide by cop

34
Mass Murderers

• Kill 4 or more people at one time and place
• Mentally unbalanced, paranoid and suffering from
  chronic depression
• Plagued by personal failure
• workplace violence

35
Serial Rapists

• Power Reassurance rapist
• lacks confidence socially and sexually with
  women, rapes to reassure his masculinity
• Will fantasize a consensual relationship (may
  even believe it)
• Can be apologetic
• e.g., the gentleman rapist

36
Power Assertive Rapist

• Attacks to assert his masculinity
• Believes women are objects for gratification
• Macho self-perception
• Women are seen as second class citizens
• Will strike impulsively

37
Anger Retaliatory Rapist

• Wants to hurt, punish and humiliate victims
• Hates women in general (or specific group)
• Wants to get even for some real or perceived
  injustice
• Will strike impulsively

38
Anger Excitation Rapist

• Known more commonly as sexual sadists
• Least common but most violent rapists
• Highly ritualistic crimes
• Fantasies usually involve some master-slave
  relationship
• Seeks complete control over victims and derives
  pleasure from their suffering
• Crimes are methodically planned

39
Opportunistic and Gang Rapists

• Opportunistic rapist is already committing
  another crime
• often involves drugs (especially alcohol)
• Gang rapes often operate on a mob or pack
  mentality (always a pack leader)
• - likelihood of serious physical injury to victim

40
Criticisms of Profiling
41
Criticisms

• Despite its successes, profiling as a field is
  not without criticisms. Include in these
  criticisms are
• untrained or inadequately trained profilers
• promising too much and delivering too little
• relying on inadequate or dated databases
• overstating the meaning of physical evidence

42
Problems with profiling

• Can only create imprecise stereotypes,
  descriptions are vague and general
• There is little theoretical foundation for
  generated demographic and personality factors
• Can narrow the investigation parameters
• Art based on experience rather than science

43
A Cheaper Alternative?
44
What is Geographic Profiling?

• Geographic profiling is a technique typically
  used in serial violent crime investigations. It
  involves an analysis of crime scene locations in
  order to determine the most probable area of
  offender residence.

45
What is Geographic Profiling?

• Geoprofiling/GP is an investigative strategy that
  uses the locations of a series of crimes to
  determine the most probable area of the offenders
  residence
• GP does not solve crimes it does prioritize
  suspects and their likely addresses
• This allows investigators to focus their
  resources and strategies, e.g., saturation
  patrol, surveillance, and neighborhood canvasses

46
Where Does a Geographic Profile Fit?

1. Occurrence of a crimes series
2. Use of traditional investigative techniques
3. Linkage analysis
4. Criminal profile
5. Geographic profile
6. New investigative strategies

47
1. Awareness and Activity Spaces
AWARENESS SPACE
ACTIVITY SPACE
48
2. Importance of the Home
49
3. Buffer Zone

• An area surrounding the criminals home where
  targets are viewed as less desirable (and
  therefore crimes are less likely).

50
S5
S4
S1
S7
S2
S3
S6
51
Profiling the Washington Sniper

• Washington DC area
• October 2, 2002 to October 22, 2002
• 14 shots, 10 dead, 3 wounded
• Thought to be linked cases
• Requests for criminal and geographic profile

52
S2
S1
S3
S4
53
(No Transcript)
54
Key References

• Canter, D.V. and Alison, L.J. (1999). Profiling
  in Policy and Practice Aldershot Ashgate
  Publishing.
• Holmes, R.M. and Holmes, S.T. (2002). Profiling
  Violent Crimes. London Sage Publications.
• Turvey, B. (2002). Criminal Profiling An
  Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis. New
  York Academic Press.

55
Questions?