So, how exactly do you catch a criminal? Hope his face is on camera? Or maybe he felt so guilty after committing the crime he just turned himself in? Both are very unlikely, but according to this article from Psychology Today, law enforcement relies heavily on a signature.
There are three key elements that help law enforcement catch a criminal: 1.M.O. (Which is a set of skills a criminal will use to find his victim. Such as going to a park at night when there aren't many people to find a victim) 2.Victimology (That uses characteristics-gender, age, race, etc-of the victim to asses a certain 'type' that the killer tends to gravitate toward) 3.Signature (This is something that is unique to each person) With these three things they can more accurately predict who the criminal will go after and where he might be next.
Unfortunately, victimology can sometimes be unreliable or inconsistent, so it is used as an aid rather than a leading way to solve a crime. A killers' MO can also evolve. It can evolve because all it is is a set of learned traits-such as commiting their crime at night because it is easier to not be spotted. But as they commit more crimes they might find doing something different than what they did in the beginning is easier to do, so they change their MO. But the Signature is what should always stay the same over time. As the article states, a signature could be when a killer dumps the body stripped of their clothing and in a public place to cause humiliation. Although, in the end, it is a combination and use of all three elements-MO, Victimology, Signature-that help catch the killer and put him to justice.
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