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December 1986 Law Enforcement Bulletin "The main idea of [NCA VCl was to bring together the fragmented efforts from around the country so that they could be consolidated into one national resource center available to the entire law enforcement community. " December 1986, Volume 55, Number 12 2 An American Response to an Era of Violence By Roger L. Depue, Ph .D. 6 NCAVC's Research and Development Program By Richard L. Ault, Jr., Ph .D. 9 Criminal Profiling: A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime By John E. Douglas, M.S., and Alan E. Burgess, M.Ed . 14 The Violent Criminal Apprehension Program- VICAP: A Progress Report By James B. Howlett, M.S., Kenneth A. Hanfland, and Robert K. Ressler, M.S. 23 The NCAVC Training Program: A Commitment to Law Enforcement By Robert R. Hazelwood, M.S. 27 Automated Crime Profiling By David J. Icove, Ph .D, P.E. 31 VICAP Alert mu Law Enforcement Bulletin United States Department of Justice Published by the Office of The Cover: Federal Bureau of Investigation Congressional and Public Affairs, This special issue of the Bulletin reports on the Washington, DC 20535 William M. Baker, Assistant Director National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, its four major programs, and the services it provides to the law enforcement community. William H. Webster, Director Editor- Thomas J . Deakin Assistant Editor-Kathryn E. Sulewski Art Director-Kevin J . Mulholland The Attorney General has determined that the The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin publication of this periodical is necessary in the Production Manager-Marlethia S. Black (ISSN-0014·5688) is published monthly by the transaction of the public business required by Reprints-Beth Corbi n Federal Bureau of Investigation, 10th and Penn· law of the Department of Justice. Use of funds sylvania Ave. , N.w., Washington, DC 20535 . for printing this periodical has been approved Second-class postage paid at Washington, DC . by the Director of the Office of Management Postmaster: Send address changes to Federal and Budget through June 6, 1988. Bureau of Investigation, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Washington, DC 20535. ISSN 0014- 5688 USPS 383- 310 Director's Message To further law enforcement cooperation , this This special issue of the Bulletin describes issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin con• the development of the center, its four major tinues the reporting begun in August 1985, of programs, and the center's services now developments in the National Center for the available to law enforcement agencies. It also Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The need discloses how the center is providing training for for interagency cooperation in law enforcement police officers. The new insights into the criminal has become even more vital with the problem of personality and the innovative investigative the serial violent criminal. This highly mobile, techniques developed as a result of research repetitive offender often eludes identification and and case experiences of the center are apprehension by law enforcement because his immediately incorporated into training curricula. crimes transcend jurisdictional boundaries. This This new knowledge is also being disseminated offender often confounds the investigations of to the law enforcement community through separate police agencies where he operates articles in professional journals, such as the FBI which may not be aware of similar crimes Law Enforcement Bulletin, in addition to the elsewhere. center's direct training efforts. The FBI , in its dual role as a Federal All of us in law enforcement must work criminal justice agency and as a law enforce• together to combat the violent criminal and use ment service organization, offers assistance to every technique available to us. Inscribed on the other agencies investigating these violent of• courtyard wall of FBI Headquarters is our belief: fenses through its NCAVC. The center is a law "The most effective weapon against crime is enforcement-oriented behavioral science and cooperation .. the efforts of all law enforcement computerized resource center which con• agencies with the support and under• solidates research , training, and investigative standing of the American people." The center is support functions. It was jOintly planned by the now an important asset to law enforcement in Department of Justice agencies of the National the struggle to control the serial violent offender. Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Office of Justice Assistance, Research and Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, several State and local law enforcement agencies, and the FBI. NIJ initially funded the William H. Webster pilot project, but today the center is totally sup• Director ported within the FBI's budget. December 1, 1986 An American Response to an Era of Violence By The year 1980 marked the begin• victims of us all. Awareness of its ROGER L. DEPUE, Ph.D. ning of a new decade. It was a time for danger affects the way we think, Special AgenVUnit Chief looking back at the record and where we live, where we go, what Behavioral Science Instruction and evaluating America's progress toward we buy, how we raise our children, Research Unit and the good life on the one hand and for and the quality of our lives as we Administrator looking ahead toward the best possible age. The specter of violent crime National Center for the Analysis of future on the other. Despite many and the knowledge that, without Violent Crime significant accomplishments made dur• warning, any person can be FBI Academy Quantico, VA ing the previous decade, one glaring attacked or crippled, robbed , or societal failure stood out. Violent crime killed, lurks at the fringes of con• had steadily increased in American sciousness. Every citizen of this society and it was continuing to increase country is more impoverished, less at an alarming rate .' In fact, the violent free, more fearful , and less safe, crime wave which had begun in 1963 because of the ever present threat was showing no signs of abatement well of the criminal. Rather than alter a into 1980.2 One of the more reliable system that has proven itself in• indexes, the homicide rate had more capable of dealing with crime, than doubled since 1962. More than society has altered itself." 5 20,000 people were being murdered per It was a downward spiral. Some• year as we entered the new decade. thing had to be done. The year 1980 itself became a record In 1981 , the Attorney General of the year with more than 23,000 people United States, William French Smith, 3 becoming victims of homicide. It was established the Attorney General's Task unprecedented mayhem. The rates for Force on Violent Crime. It was his other serious violent crimes, such as intention to assemble a group of aggravated assault, forcible rape, and knowledgeable individuals who were rObbery, were equally disturbing. highly recognized for their expertise in a Predatory stranger-to-stranger violent variety of pertinent professions and crime was increasing steadily, while the academic disciplines to study the pro• number of cases cleared by arrest were blem of violent crime in America. The 4 decreasing. Lois Haight Herrington, task force was to make recommenda• Chairperson of the President's Task tions regarding what might be done to Force on Victims of Crime, summarized curb the rapid growth of violent crime the national situation like this: and to reduce its adverse impact on the "Something insidious has hap• quality of American life. 6 pened in America: crime has made In addition to establishing the task their hundreds of crimes had been force, Smith required each agency of analyzed. 7 The research instrument the Department of Justice to submit a consisted of a 5-part, 57-page protocol report outlining what the agency might which was completed in conjunction do to assist in a national effort to reduce with 5- to 10-hour intensive interviews the level of violent crime. The Federal of the murderers by veteran FBI Agents Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received with behavioral science backgrounds. its mandate, and Director William H. The overall purpose was to elicit Webster began a systematic survey of information regarding each offender's Bureau resources to determine those developmental history; physical and which could be applied to this national personality characteristics; modus cause. The FBI's Training Division operandi; pre- and post-offense located at the FBI Academy at Quantico, behavior; victim selection, manipulation, VA, was immediately considered to be and control; and techniques used to a major resource to draw upon for ideas. successfully evade detection, It was often used as a think tank to apprehension, prosecution , and address issues of this nature. After sub• confinement. mitting its initial report, the Training Divi• The research was conducted with sion was designated the lead division in the assistance of academic and mental formulating the FBI's role in combating health consultants who were led by Dr. violent crime in America, and within it, Ann Wolbert Burgess of Boston City the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) Hospital and Boston University (now at became the center of activity. the University of Pennsylvania). The Na• Over the years, the BSU had tionallnstitute of Justice (NIJ) awarded established an impressive record of a grant to Dr. Burgess to pursue the furnishing assistance to Federal, State, project with her FBI colleagues. The and local law enforcement agencies. research resulted in the development of During training on violent criminal valuable investigative techniques, as behavior, police officers would well as insights into the personalities of frequently discuss unsolved cases and these killers. This body of knowledge ask for the instructor's opinion about the served to enhance training and con• type of person they might be seeking. sultation functions. The staff of the BSU They were also interested in obtaining was often called upon to address innovative investigative ideas, and the criminal justice and behavioral science instructors helped them plan case conferences and symposia on violent strategies.