1. INTRODUCTION "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.” This quote is from the fictional master detective Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective novels (2004). Sherlock Holmes knew the value of collecting data and analyzing it thoroughly before attempting to solve a crime, and this inductive method is still the hallmark of a good criminal investigator. Today, databases and record rooms abound with information about various crimes, information that if looked at holistically could can often lead to the apprehension of the perpetrator. Unfortunately, just because the data is available doesn’t mean it can be easily analyzed. The amount of data in law enforcement databases has grown so large that even a team of investigators of Sherlock Holmes’ caliber would not be able to do as the master detective suggests and examine all of it before drawing any conclusions. Modern law enforcement agencies keep massive databases on all sorts of information that could potentially lead to a breakthrough in an investigation. Crime locations, crime reports, weather data, offender descriptions, criminal profiles, are all housed in massive databases around the world. The LAPD alone has records containing information on more than thirteen million crimes (The Age of Big Data, 2013). If analyzed thoroughly, all or even a portion of this information could reveal patterns that would point investigators towards a suspect or suspects in many cases. Unfortunately, trying to discern patterns and similarities from these massive data sets would take decades, maybe even centuries, for humans and would be an exercise in futility. It is, however, a perfectly realistic endeavor ... ... middle of paper ... ...uter-aided tracking and characterization of homicides and sexual assaults (CATCH) (Vol. 3722, pp. 250–260). doi:10.1117/12.342880 Kirwan, B., & Ainsworth, L. K. (1992). Guide To Task Analysis: The Task Analysis Working Group. London: CRC Press. Mena, J. (2003). Investigative data mining for security and criminal detection. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann. Mena, J. (2011). Machine learning forensics for law enforcement, security, and intelligence. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Mueller, S. (2013). Upgrading and Repairing PCs (21st ed.). Indianapolis, IN USA: QUE. Peretto, P. (1992). An introduction to the modeling of neural networks. Cambridge, NY New York: Cambridge University Press. Priddy, K. L., & Keller, P. E. (2005). Artificial neural networks: An introduction. Bellingham, Wash: SPIE Press Regalado, A. (1999). Catch as CATCH can. MIT Technology Review, 102(2), 28.
...e of law enforcement databases. This information can then be used in a criminal prosecution against that person.
Hundreds across the nation watch forensic shows every day. From fictional shows similar to Criminal Minds and CSI, to nonfictional shows such as The First 48 and Forensic Files. However, these shows have something in common. Criminological programs continuously show how the crime happened, what it takes to crack the case, how investigators accumulate evidence, a...
Through the creation of the Murder Accountability Project, Thomas Hargrove developed the Hargrove Algorithm which “uses FBI homicide data to identify clusters of murders with an elevated probability of containing serial killings” (“Who We Are,” 2017). Therefore, the algorithm utilizes data mining to target cases with similar methods of killing in a specific geographical area. As serial killers are known to have a specific modus operandi, this data mining tool can efficiently detect hard to see patterns over large periods of time which would take criminal investigators years, if at all, to correlate. “The algorithm’s identification of 15 unsolved strangulations in Gary was corroborated in 2014 with the arrest of Darren Deon Vann, who confessed
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Criminal profiling can be a rather useful tool for criminal investigators of all kinds. Many departments use profiling to catch terrorists, gangs, cyber-crimes, counter intelligence, white collar crimes, and most of all serial killers. How criminal profiling works is by looking at the behavior of the criminal to gain insight into his or her personality. A doctor does the same thing when looking at symptoms to diagnose a certain disease. Being able to understand this person’s personality leads you one step closer to catching him or her.
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When it comes to profiling, it is a very controversial tool, although within the past couple decades it has increased in use significantly. One huge controversy is the fact that not a lot of people believe that a hypothetical depiction of a suspect actually helps contribute to solving crimes, however, a lot of the profiles for serial killers in the past have been incredibly accurate. There is, however, a lack of scientific evidence to support these techniques. With the lack of a scientific basis, the question of the validity that profiling brings to investigations arises often. The main issue is that no one knows if they have a good portrait until the suspect is caught.
Serial murder investigations are the most difficult cases for investigators. Serial murder investigations can become wide spread, and can include many challenges that will require time, money and resources. An example of the commitment required to investigate a serial murder case is that of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. One investigator worked the investigation full time for 11 years. The day he made the Arrest was the day he retired. Serial murder is one of today’s most terrifying crimes. The killing of multiple people within various jurisdictions can alter everyday life for people residing within these communities. The result is intense pressure from the public and media placed on investigators to track down and apprehend these killers who commit such horrific acts to unsuspecting victims.
Throughout the history of criminal profiling people have had concerns about whether or not it actually works and/or helps find
Then comes the step of finding data. Holmes once said, "It is a capital mistake to theorize without data." You should never come up with theories and then try to support them. You must always find facts and then come up with theories. My thoughts are that you go in the wrong direction if you do it ass backwards. Not only will the crime take longer to solve but it also could never be solved.
The use of technology in the policing domain has been rapidly adopted over the past few years. However, it should be noted that the process of adopting and effectively using technology in law enforcement, begun more than 50 years ago. For instance, it become apparent in the 1950’s that computer would enable easier storage and retrieval of large amounts of data. More recently, advancement in technology has incorporated more sophisticated ways of transmitting and analyzing information, therefore aiding the law enforcement process (Button, Sharples & Harper, 2007). The police have found various aspect of technology useful; predominantly, computer crime mapping has been widely adopted and consequently received a lot of attention (Goldstein & McEwen, 2009).
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