WEBVTT
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When a profiler looks at a crime scene, what are
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they looking for? And what do they see that others don't?
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Investigators enter a homicide scene and find no obvious force entry.
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The victim's belongings appear largely undisturbed. The body, however, has
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been moved from where the initial attack seems to have occurred.
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A forensic technician might immediately think about fingerprints, biological material, footwear, fibers,
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00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:29.179
blood patterns, and trace evidence. The profiler asks a different question.
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Why did the offender make these particular choices? Every crime
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00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:38.939
requires decisions. The offender chooses a victim, location, time, method
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00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:42.119
of approach, degree of violence, and eventually a way of
11
00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:48.390
leaving the scene. Some decisions are practical. Others may reflect panic, opportunity, experience, fantasy,
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00:00:49.450 --> 00:00:52.130
or an attempt to control how investigators interpret what happened.
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00:00:53.049 --> 00:00:55.530
Consider the absence of forced entry. That could mean the
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00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:57.329
victim knew the offender, but it could also mean an
15
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unlocked door, deception, coercion, Moving the body creates another behavioral question.
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Was the offender trying to conceal it, stage the scene,
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delay discovery? Or was the moving victim simply necessary to
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accomplish another part of the crime? From behaviors like those,
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investigators can develop hypotheses. If an offender who appears to
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have spent considerable time at a scene might have felt
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00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.920
relatively comfortable there, someone who brings restraints, gloves, or other
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materials may have engaged in more preparation than someone who
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improvises entirely with objects found at the location. Victim selection
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can also matter. Was this person specifically targeted or did
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the offender appear to be searching for anyone who met
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certain situational criteria? These observations might suggest planning, familiarity, risk tolerance.
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But notice the language. Suggest, indicate, consistent with. Not prove.
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A profiler cannot look at an organized crime scene and
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scientifically determine that the offender is a 37-year-old divorced accountant
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who drives a black SUV. as much as the TVs
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want us to believe that. Crime scenes can sometimes be
32
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.780
viewed as records of problem-solving under psychological conditions. An offender
33
00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:18.069
has objectives while simultaneously managing risk, emotion, time pressure, environmental obstacles,
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the victim's reaction. So what happened first? It's an important
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question that the profiler will ask. What did the offender
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00:02:26.419 --> 00:02:30.120
need to accomplish? What behavior appears instrumental, necessary to commit
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00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:34.889
the crime? Unnecessary behavior can sometimes be psychologically interesting because
38
00:02:34.969 --> 00:02:40.030
it may reflect anger, fantasy, control. Even then, alternative explanations
39
00:02:40.090 --> 00:02:44.020
must remain open. The practical value of behavior analysis is
40
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not magically identifying the offender. It is narrowing with possibilities
41
00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:53.539
and generating investigative questions. If behavior suggests familiarity with the location,
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00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:57.069
investigators might examine people who knew the property. If the
43
00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.479
victim's selection appears targeted, investigators may examine the relationship and
44
00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:05.740
prior contacts. The profile becomes one tool among many, not
45
00:03:05.780 --> 00:03:12.050
the investigation itself. DNA can potentially associate a biological sample
46
00:03:12.069 --> 00:03:15.430
with a particular person. A fingerprint can potentially be compared
47
00:03:15.449 --> 00:03:18.770
with a known print. Behavior usually cannot provide that level
48
00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:22.740
of individualization. Ten different offenders might move a victim's body
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for ten different reasons. What looks like sophisticated planning might
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actually be luck. Profiling, therefore, works best as a hypothesis generator,
51
00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:36.479
not identity determination. A crime scene may reveal something about
52
00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.520
how an offender behaved. It may help even investigators understand
53
00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:42.439
why certain decisions were made. But behavior is a clue
54
00:03:42.810 --> 00:03:46.590
and not a fingerprint of the mind. So don't be
55
00:03:46.669 --> 00:03:49.090
fooled by what you watch sometimes on TV where they
56
00:03:49.129 --> 00:03:50.610
figure out so much about a person.
1
00:00:01.209 --> 00:00:04.230
When a profiler looks at a crime scene, what are
2
00:00:04.250 --> 00:00:07.620
they looking for? And what do they see that others don't?
3
00:00:08.070 --> 00:00:11.919
Investigators enter a homicide scene and find no obvious force entry.
4
00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:16.120
The victim's belongings appear largely undisturbed. The body, however, has
5
00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:18.719
been moved from where the initial attack seems to have occurred.
6
00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:25.820
A forensic technician might immediately think about fingerprints, biological material, footwear, fibers,
7
00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:29.179
blood patterns, and trace evidence. The profiler asks a different question.
8
00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:34.280
Why did the offender make these particular choices? Every crime
9
00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:38.939
requires decisions. The offender chooses a victim, location, time, method
10
00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:42.119
of approach, degree of violence, and eventually a way of
11
00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:48.390
leaving the scene. Some decisions are practical. Others may reflect panic, opportunity, experience, fantasy,
12
00:00:49.450 --> 00:00:52.130
or an attempt to control how investigators interpret what happened.
13
00:00:53.049 --> 00:00:55.530
Consider the absence of forced entry. That could mean the
14
00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:57.329
victim knew the offender, but it could also mean an
15
00:00:57.390 --> 00:01:02.549
unlocked door, deception, coercion, Moving the body creates another behavioral question.
16
00:01:02.590 --> 00:01:05.150
Was the offender trying to conceal it, stage the scene,
17
00:01:05.189 --> 00:01:08.730
delay discovery? Or was the moving victim simply necessary to
18
00:01:08.790 --> 00:01:13.689
accomplish another part of the crime? From behaviors like those,
19
00:01:13.750 --> 00:01:17.239
investigators can develop hypotheses. If an offender who appears to
20
00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:20.640
have spent considerable time at a scene might have felt
21
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.920
relatively comfortable there, someone who brings restraints, gloves, or other
22
00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:26.599
materials may have engaged in more preparation than someone who
23
00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:31.579
improvises entirely with objects found at the location. Victim selection
24
00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:34.859
can also matter. Was this person specifically targeted or did
25
00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:36.980
the offender appear to be searching for anyone who met
26
00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:44.959
certain situational criteria? These observations might suggest planning, familiarity, risk tolerance.
27
00:01:46.819 --> 00:01:52.430
But notice the language. Suggest, indicate, consistent with. Not prove.
28
00:01:52.629 --> 00:01:54.969
A profiler cannot look at an organized crime scene and
29
00:01:55.049 --> 00:01:58.629
scientifically determine that the offender is a 37-year-old divorced accountant
30
00:01:58.670 --> 00:02:02.140
who drives a black SUV. as much as the TVs
31
00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:06.200
want us to believe that. Crime scenes can sometimes be
32
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.780
viewed as records of problem-solving under psychological conditions. An offender
33
00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:18.069
has objectives while simultaneously managing risk, emotion, time pressure, environmental obstacles,
34
00:02:18.110 --> 00:02:22.909
the victim's reaction. So what happened first? It's an important
35
00:02:22.930 --> 00:02:26.360
question that the profiler will ask. What did the offender
36
00:02:26.419 --> 00:02:30.120
need to accomplish? What behavior appears instrumental, necessary to commit
37
00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:34.889
the crime? Unnecessary behavior can sometimes be psychologically interesting because
38
00:02:34.969 --> 00:02:40.030
it may reflect anger, fantasy, control. Even then, alternative explanations
39
00:02:40.090 --> 00:02:44.020
must remain open. The practical value of behavior analysis is
40
00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:48.000
not magically identifying the offender. It is narrowing with possibilities
41
00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:53.539
and generating investigative questions. If behavior suggests familiarity with the location,
42
00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:57.069
investigators might examine people who knew the property. If the
43
00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.479
victim's selection appears targeted, investigators may examine the relationship and
44
00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:05.740
prior contacts. The profile becomes one tool among many, not
45
00:03:05.780 --> 00:03:12.050
the investigation itself. DNA can potentially associate a biological sample
46
00:03:12.069 --> 00:03:15.430
with a particular person. A fingerprint can potentially be compared
47
00:03:15.449 --> 00:03:18.770
with a known print. Behavior usually cannot provide that level
48
00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:22.740
of individualization. Ten different offenders might move a victim's body
49
00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:25.819
for ten different reasons. What looks like sophisticated planning might
50
00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:31.300
actually be luck. Profiling, therefore, works best as a hypothesis generator,
51
00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:36.479
not identity determination. A crime scene may reveal something about
52
00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.520
how an offender behaved. It may help even investigators understand
53
00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:42.439
why certain decisions were made. But behavior is a clue
54
00:03:42.810 --> 00:03:46.590
and not a fingerprint of the mind. So don't be
55
00:03:46.669 --> 00:03:49.090
fooled by what you watch sometimes on TV where they
56
00:03:49.129 --> 00:03:50.610
figure out so much about a person.
