◆ SpookStack

When the investigator provides in- formation concerning a victim to a pro- filer, some items which the officer should include are: 1) Occupation (former and pres- ent), 2) Residence (former and pres- ent), 3) Reputation, at work and in his neighborhood, 4) Physical description, including dress at the time of the incident, 5) Marital status, including children and ciose family members, 6) Educational level, 7) Financial status, past and pres- ent, 8) Information and background of victim’s family and parents, including victim’s relationship with parent, 9) Medical history, both physical and mental, 10) Fears, 11) Personal habits, 12) Social habits, 13) Use of alcohol and drugs, 14) Hobbies, 15) Friends and enemies, 16) Recent changes in style, and 17) Recent court action. The primary psychological evi- dence which the profiler is looking for is motive. After a survey of the evi- dence, the profiler applies an age-old rule known as ‘“‘ockhams razor” which, originally stated, is ‘what can be done with fewer assumptions is done in vain with more.” 1? This 14th century philosophy has, in investigative circles, generally come to mean that given a problem with several alternative solu- tions, the most obvious answer is usually correct. An aid to the applica- tion of ockhams razor is the intangible evidence that the observer gathers from the crime scene to tell him such things as whether the crime appears to be planned or whether it is the result of an irrational thought process. life- Profiling is a valuable investigative tool but is not a magical process. Police officers do a great deal of pro- filing during the course of their work days. They constantly build mental images or profiles based upon crime scenes and then use these profiles in an attempt to limit the scope of their investigations. These profiles are based upon the officer’s extensive knowledge of the type of crime he is investigating. When a crime so bizarre that it is out of the scope of the officer's experience occurs, there are behavioral scientists available who can assist by providing these types of pro- files. The FBI provides limited service in the area of profiling and these limita- tions are based on the amount of time and manpower available to conduct such profiles. Instruction is the primary purpose of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI Training Division. Courses in ap- plied criminology, abnormal psy- chology, sociology, hostage negotia- tions, interpersonal violence, and other behavioral science-related areas are taught at the Academy to FBI Agents and police officers. In the past, as an adjunct to its instructional programs, the Training Division has attempted to assist law enforcement agencies with the preparation of psychological pro- files. During the initial stages of the FBl’s involvement in profiling, these profiles were limited to students at- tending the FBI National Academy. During the past year, how- ever, over 100 unsolved cases have been received by the Training Division from law enforcement officers nation- wide. Due to increased instructional and research commitments, it was necessary to implement guidelines and control measures to manage and moni- tor effectively this investigative technique. It is most important that this inves- tigative technique be confined chiefly to crimes against the person where the motive is lacking and where there is sufficient data to recognize the pres- ence of psychopathology at the crime scene. Psychological analysis is not a substitute for basic investigative princi- 38 ples, and all logical leads must be exhausted before requesting this sery. ice. This technique is usually confineg to homicides, rapes, etc., in which available evidence indicates possible mental deficiency or aberration on the part of the perpetrator. Cases will be profiled on a “time available” basis, with the more severe cases being given priority. It should also be under- stood that analysis is for lead value only, and clinical opinions will not be offered. Cases which, in the opinion of the Training Division, fail to meet these criteria will be returned to the request- ing agency. Under no circumstances should physical evidence be trans- mitted to the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation, since the possibility exists that information received may not be re- turned to the agency. An agency requesting a psycho- logical profile should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation field office located within the territory of the department and provide to them the information as requested herein. The agency should make it known to the field office that they are requesting a psychological profile from the Behav- ioral Science Unit, Training Division. FBI Footnotes 1 James Q. Wilson, Varieties of Police Behavior (Cam- bridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1968), p. 30. ?Gearge G. Killinger and Paul F. Cromwell, /ssues in Law Enforcement (Boston: Holbrook Press, 1975), p. 212. 1 Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Lan- guage (New York: The World Publishing Company, 1978), p. 1163. “Walter C. Langer, The Mind of Adolph Hitler (New Yark. Basic Books, Inc., 1972). 5 James C. Coleman, Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life (Glenview, Ill: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1980). &“Son of Sam: Implications for Psychiatry” (letter), Ameri- can Journal of Psychiatry, 135 (1}: 131, Jan. 1978. 7 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 24 ed., (Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 4968). 5Coleman, pp. 3-23. 9J. V. McConnell, Understanding Human Behavior (New York: Halt, Rinehart, and Wilson, Inc., 1974), p. 25. ‘6 Sherrill Whiton, Elements of interior Design and Decora- tion (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1963), p. 751. OR, Brittain, The Sagistic Murderer, Medical Science and the Law, Vol. 10, 1970, pp. 198-204; Donald Lunde, Murder and Madness (San Francisco: San Francisco Book Company, Inc., 1976). 2 The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (New York: Macmiltian Company, 1967), Vol. 8, p. 307.