1) Kristen
When would geographic profiling be used during an investigation?
Geographic profiling is a calculated evidence organization system used to assist in serial violent crime investigation. It is stated that the location of a crime can provide police with indispensable material. Although this technique does not strictly solve cases on its own it does help to achieve a sizeable capacity of information. This cuts down the amount of time and resources required. It is not about unsubstantiated prediction, as many assume. Geographic profiling instead looks to make accurate deductions.

2) Angela
How would you have used geographic profiling during the Washington, D.C. Sniper Murders?
Since there were various locations of the murders, including across state lines, I think a geographic profile would have been difficult. It was not until after the snipers were caught that the connection was even made to murders that committed a month prior in a different state. I think it would have been useful in the focus was just on the DC area. By creating the profile, connections could have been made sooner and other critical facts.

3) Kelsea
How can the media effect behavior in crime?
The media can affect the behavior in crime in several ways. The first is that the attention that a particular offender is give can either make him commit more crimes for the recognition and to incite fear, or it can push the offender into going into hiding or changing his MO completely so that it is harder to link cases. The media can also affect what the criminal knows about the criminal justice system. Criminal shows (though often inaccurate) do have some slivers of truth, like bleach degrading blood samples. The media reporting on serial crimes has the potential to create copycat criminals. These people will attempt to copy the crimes that are reported so that they are linked the subject the police are looking for the other crimes and not them.

4) What type of crimes would crime reconstruction make the most difference? And why?

5) There are several reasons that a person would falsify a crime, or report. State and elaborate on some of those reasons.