Catching Killers Higgins O’Brien Spring 2012

Data from the UCR shows that criminals often “get away with it”

Science of the Lambs The medical examiner or coroner will analyze the body to determine time of death and cause of death – Rigor Mortis (stiffness in the muscle tissue) – Decomposition from insects – Livor Mortis (settling of blood in the body) – Toxicology reports Forensic anthropologists can determine age, sex, and race by looking at victims’ bones Teeth can often be matched with dental records DNA is among the strongest evidence * However human error will always exist

Clearance Rates Clearance rates for murder have gone down slightly in recent years This does not mean police practices are worsening Some believe this is due to changes in homicide – There are less spousal murders – More murders involving strangers and youth This makes it more difficult to solve homicide cases

ViCAP and Profiling Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) Launched by the FBI in 1985 Computerized database for collecting information on unsolved homicides in the United States Attempts to find trends in the data, and assist in creating a profile for offenders While promising, the ViCAP initiative has had little practical use – There simply is not enough data in the system

Profiling While ViCAP did not live up to its potential, computers are a valuable tool for criminal profilers FBI has two main profiles for killers – Organized Non-Social – Disorganized Asocial These do not point to once specific offender, but aim to focus on a particular range of suspects Useful for interviewing suspects *However, profiles have a fairly low success rate – Example: DC Sniper Case

Profiling continued The FBI no longer prefers the term “profiling” – Due to connotation with racial profiling – Hollywood distortion of profilers Agents are called “criminal investigative analysts” Work in a team, and utilize databases like ViCAP NamUS is a new system that links unsolved missing persons with unidentified remains

Sightings and Visions Witnesses are often unreliable In an emotional state of panic, expectations and prejudices can skew perceptions Hypnosis has been used in an attempt to improve memory, but this remains controversial – Those is hypnotic state are still susceptible to influence There have also been high profile cases involving “psychic premonitions” – These are also controversial and unsubstantiated

Working a Homicide in the Media Spotlight Police typically try to control the spread of information about a case Media agencies can be relentless to gain information There is a competition to break the story first – Reporters have cultivated and bribed connections within police departments Police departments have also used the media to anger, distract, or communicate with the offender Many serial killers have been caught after playing into these police methods