Geographic Profiling Essay

Origins of Geographic Profiling The concept of geographic profiling, as a product of criminal profiling, can be traced back to Cesaro Lombroso (1876), the Father of Criminology. Lombroso’s theories of criminality emphasized the individual characteristics of the offender (e.g., as race, age, sex, gender, location). He was influenced by the evolutionary research of Darwin’s concept of the “born criminal,” posing that physical characteristics are indications of criminal predispositions (2007). Nonetheless, accounting for the era of which Darwin and Lombroso was most influential, with lack of science, it was reasonable to identify the characteristics of a criminal as opposite of the norm. The two historical figures are credited for establishing the basis of profiling. Today, geographic profiling is mostly associated with Kim Rossmo, a Canadian Criminologist, providing a broadened outlook on criminal investigations. In 2005, Rossmo published research evaluating the faults in investigative procedures. He suggests that a main contributing factors to unsolved cases is the unconscious making of avoidable mistakes in organizational aspects of the actors

Misdemeanors are common and less threatening to the safety of the public. Therefore, crimes as such are not prioritized due to the minimal harm and lack of need for scarce resources for its detection. However, this is not to devalue the importance of order maintenance incidents that disrupt social productivity. Rather, to recall the purpose of geographic profiling; to proactively respond to uncommon serial offenses that effect society on a larger scale. The complexity of serial crimes is the capacity in which it is committed. There are increased number of victims, less evidence, lack of offender motive (i.e., mental, emotional, and psychological influences) and serves as a substantial threat to the public (Ebisike,