◆ SpookStack

The basis for profiling is nothing more than the understanding of current inciples of behavioral sciences, such as psychology, sociology, criminology, = and political science. Behaviorial science is, at best, an inclusive science. it is often referred to as an “art form.”® However, its use does have validity in law enforcement. Human behavior is much too complex to classify, yet attempts are often made to do so with the hope that such a vastly complicated system can be brought into some control. The Diag- nostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM Il), used by mental health professionals, is one example of this attempt.’ While attempts to neatly classify behavior are mostly unsuc- cessful, one must remember why these attempts are made. There are many types of “normal” and “abnormal” be- havior.’ Many of these behaviors may have a label attached to them by be- havioral scientists. It is most important to bear in mind that such a label is merely an abbreviated way to describe a behavior pattern. It is nothing more than a convenience by which profes- sionals communicate. The important aspect is the specific characteristics or symptoms of each person. The symp- toms are revealed in the way the indi- vidual “acts out’ and in the responses which the individual may make to the professional. The labels may differ from doctor to doctor because they are simply each doctor's interpretation of the symptom. A symptom, then, is the ‘‘visible evidence of a disease or disturb- ance,” and a crime, particularly a bi- zarre crime, is as much a symptom as any other type of acting out by an individual. A crime may reflect the personality characteristics of the per- petrator in much the same fashion as the way we keep and decorate our homes reflects something about our personality. °° A crime scene is usually confined to the area in which the crime was committed. For the purposes of this article, the term crime scene includes the following: The scene of the crime; the victim of the crime, as in the case of rape; and all other locations involved in the crime, including such areas as the recovery site when a homicide is committed in one location and the body deposited in another. The victim is one of the most im- portant aspects of the psychological profile. In cases involving a surviving victim, particularly a rape victim, the perpetrator’s exact conversation with the victim is of utmost importance and can play a very large role in the con- struction of an accurate profile. The profile is not all inclusive and does not always provide the same in- formation from one profile to another. It is based on what was or was not left at the crime scene. Since the amount of psychological evidence varies, as does physical evidence, the profile may also vary. The profile information may include: 1) The perpetrator’s race, 2) Sex, 3) Age range, 4) Marital status, 5) General employment, 6) Reaction to questioning by police, 7) Degree of sexual maturity, 8) Whether the individual might strike again, 9) The possibility that he/she has committed a similar offense in the past, and 10) Possible police record. These profiles are not the result of magical incantations and are not al- ways accurate. It is the application of behavioral science theory and re- search to the profiier’s knowledge of patterns which may be present at var- ious crime scenes." It is important that the profiler have wide exposure to crime scenes so that he may see that these patterns may exist. It is also important that the individual attempting to profile crime scenes have some ex- posure to those criminals who have committed similar crimes. 37 The entire basis for a good profile is a good crime scene examination and adequate interviews of victims and wit- nesses. When officers find individuals who are willing to attempt psychologi- cal evaluations of crime scenes, they often ask the profiler what materials should be sent to him. Necessary items for a psychological profile include: 1) Complete photographs of the crime scene, including photographs of the victim if it is a homicide. Also help- ful is some means of determining the angle from which the photographs were taken and a general description of the immediate area. One enterpris- ing police officer developed the excel- lent technique of photocopying his crime scene sketch, attaching one copy to each photo, and then outlining in red the area which was included in the photograph. 2) The completed autopsy proto- col including, if possible, any results of lab tests which were done on the victim. 3) A complete report of the inci- dent to include such standard details as date and time of offense, location (by town as well as by actual site of incident), weapon used (if known), in- vestigative officers’ reconstruction of the sequence of.events (if any), and a detailed interview of any surviving vic- tims or witnesses. These items are usually a part of all investigations and do not generally require extra report writing or extra written material. Also included in most investigative reports is background information on the vic- tim(s). Yet, this seems to be the area where the least amount of information is available to the profiler. Usually, this is because the investigative officer cannot possibly write down ail of the many details concerning the victim which he collects while investigating the crime.