Modus Operandi, Mauro Corvasce [love letters to the dead .TXT] 📗

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Arsonists

Examining the most underreported of all crimes. Cause Origin

Automobile and Other Vehicle Arson

Arson for Hire

Pyromaniacs

Firestarters

Typical Arson Scenarios Some Final Thoughts on Arson

2 Art, Antique and Jewel Thieves

The ugly business of stealing beautiful things. Types of Art Theft The Role of the Fence in Art Theft Capturing Art and Jewelry Thieves Criminal Penalties for Art Theft Conclusion

3 Carjacking, Hijacking, Skyjacking and Auto Theft

The methods and reasons behind modern-day piracy. Who's the Victim? Basic Auto Theft Carjacking Chop Shops

Vehicles Stolen for Export Gray Market Vehicles

Heavy Industrial and Construction Equipment

Hijacking

Skyjacking

Vessels and Aircraft

4 Con Artists

The art of swindling. Salesmen of Fraud Swindles Against the Elderly A Glossary for Con Artists

5 Counterfeiters and Forgers

Stealing a free ride on someone else's hard work or ideas. Currencies

Credit Card Fraud/Counterfeiting Other Documentation Marketable Goods Forgery

6 Fencing

Converting stolen goods into cash. Fences and the Law Types of Fences

How to Become a Professional Fence Depicting a Professional Fence

7 Homicide

Determining the manner and cause of death. Medical Examiners Killing and the M.O. Passion Killings

Premeditated Domestic Killings

Adjunct Homicide

Serial Killers

Contract Killers

Ritualistic Cults

Stabbing

Death by Gunshot Things to Remember Suicide or Homicide

8 Kidnapping

One of the most terrifying and cruel crimes committed against another human being. Gang Kidnappings Ransom Seekers Cults

Fanatics and Terrorists Parental Abduction Stranger Abduction Apprehending Kidnappers

9 Prostitution

As long as there are people willing to pay for sex, there will be people willing to sell it.

A Brief History of Prostitution Causes of Prostitution Prostitute Categories Prostitution and the Mob

10 Armed Robbery

Using force to get anything you want. The Professional Armed Robber Bank Robberies Armored Car Robberies The Amateur Female Armed Robbers

11 Safecracking and lockpicking

Overcoming security obstacles and precautions. Surveillance

Getting Inside the Property Getting Inside the Building Inside the Building Safecracking Lockpicking

12 Smuggling

Trafficking vice worldwide. Cocaine Heroin

Methamphetamine Designer Drugs The Old Standbys Asian Gangs

Jamaican Criminal Groups The Mob Black Gangs Turkish Smugglers Countries in Conflict Smuggling People Into the U.S.

13 Shoplifters

An increasingly popular crime among "normal" people. Reasons Why Amateurs Lift The Professional Shoplifter Catching the Shoplifter

14 Whitecollar Crime and Money Laundering

Committing crimes with and against businesses. Telephones and Computers Money Laundering Loan Sharking

Modus Operandi, or method of operation, is really a term that refers to the habits, techniques and peculiarities of behavior of a criminal. All criminals have a modus operandi, and enough of them have distinctive methods of operation to justify the classification of crimes by like characteristics. The modus operandi of a criminal is his "signature."

Law enforcement agencies maintain modus operandi files which enable detectives to recognize a pattern of criminal behavior, to associate a group of crimes with a single perpetrator, to predict approximately the next target of the criminal and the next time he will strike, and to assist complainants, eyewitnesses and detectives in recognizing the perpetrator through recorded characteristics of the criminal activity. The modus operandi file is most effective in personal contact crimes such as felonies against the person, confidence schemes and burglaries.

The traditional method of compiling a modus operandi file is still considered effective after forty years of use. In this system the following are considered important elements in the effectiveness of such a file.

1. Property — the type of stolen property provides an excellent clue in larceny or burglary crimes.

2. Description — if the criminal was observed, a verbal description is usually the most important clue to the identity of the perpetrator. If the person has been arrested before, the file will also contain a mug shot.

3. Observation at the Scene — the use of all senses at the scene of a crime is important because it may result in finding a useful pattern. The objects and substances seen, heard, smelled, tasted or felt will contribute to the complete picture.

4. Motive — in addition to the taking of property, there are many other criminal motives. Occasionally, such as in murder, rape or assault in general, a pattern of behavior may be seen in a series of crimes. This pattern

is particularly common in crimes committed by a psychopath.

5. Time — the time at which the crimes were committed is an important element in the pattern. Naturally, since the exact moment of occurrence cannot be readily established in many cases, the detective must try to establish the time of occurrence within reasonable limits.

6. Peculiarities—weaknesses of character will ordinarily reveal themselves in the unaltered surrounds of the crime. Peculiarities such as drinking a victim's liquor or eating a victim's food, defecation at the scene or a particular location, and theft of items that seem unimportant, such as ties or cufflinks, are significant.

7. Observed Peculiarities — an observer of the offense may be able to supply valuable clues by noting the criminal's idiosyncrasies. Speech patterns, a lisp or an accent are important clues to identity. Also, enunciation, dialect and diction can be recorded.

Detectives compare the way in which a crime was committed with records stored in the modus operandi section of police records. If these comparisons are successful, a detective obtains data on possible suspects. Detectives also report the modus operandi to other detectives at monthly meetings to make comparisons. Police agencies use modus operandi files extensively; they are very successful in solving burglary, robbery, grand theft, fraud, sex and fraudulent checks crimes.

The modus operandi file contains so much information about the method of operations of known criminals that it often reads like a biography. These files can identify a perpetrator by naming suspects whose modus operandi in past crimes fits the facts of the current crimes. Of course, a suspect's past crimes and operations must be sufficiently similar to be identified. They must have several features in common with the crime under investigation to warrant making a connection between the two.

Similarities in methods of operation, in combination with other leads, are important tools in identifying criminals, for they decrease the likelihood of a mistake in suspecting a person of a crime. Storing data on crimes according to modus operandi allows police to compare unsolved crimes with the criminal technique of an apprehended criminal. Connecting these unsolved crimes to an arrested person means the police must continually update their modus operandi files; otherwise pertinent criminal activity may be missed.

Here is an example of how