Introduction
Serial murderers present a myriad of challenges for the agencies mandated to protect citizens from crime. The definition of a progressive killer has evolved over the years due to conflicts on some denotation elements (Ribaux et al., 2021). For example, there have been disagreements among academicians, police, and researchers on the number of murders, motivations, and the temporal aspects of the homicide that should define a serial killer. However, there is a generally-acceptable generic definition of the term from recent detailed researches. For instance, Ribaux et al. (2021) define serial murder as the illegal bloodshed of more than one person by the same offender during different events. In other words, the crime must involve a single person murdering more than two people. Understanding the definition of serial killing is essential in evaluating the analytical approaches that agencies adopt. Proactive and reactive strategies to a homicide examination are vital because they help identify a consecutive assassin’s trends, enhance collaboration between the investigative agencies, and facilitate the executor’s apprehension.
Reactive Investigative Approach
The reactive investigative approach plays a crucial role in facilitating the seizure of a serial slayer. The strategy refers to the immediate response and follow-up to specific requests from community members. The occupants of a particular geographical area are an ideal source of information to law enforcers because they can directly observe fellow residents’ patterns and behavior. Reporting suspicious activities within the society to the relevant police officers is an obligation of every responsible member of the public (Leng & Li, 2018). Law enforcement uses the data from such reports to identify criminal patterns. These trends are significant to the policy implementation authorities pursuing a serial executioner because they help determine the killer’s series of activities. Serial murderers have a unique modus operandi that makes it easier for the police to identify them.
The reactive approach involves an immediate reaction to suggestions from the community residents about crime. Therefore, delays in response can lead to grave consequences for the victims. This approach is useful because the instant reaction may scare away the sequential killer and save a victim’s life. However, this approach is disparaged as ineffective in resolving serial murders (Leng & Li, 2018). The immediate response can scare a consecutive murderer and help them evade arrest. As a result, the serial executioner gets an opportunity to hurt another victim. Rescuing a single target without apprehending the serial perpetrator does not resolve the serial manslaughter.
Although the reactive investigative approaches do not always lead to a serial killer’s capture, it provides crucial insights to the policy enactment. For example, a surviving victim may directly identify the criminal or furnish the police force with essential clues to identify the perpetrator. Authorities have solved numerous cases from such indications as to the height, age, eye and hair color, and a serial murderer’s race. Investigators have also solved cold issues by combining reactive investigative approaches (Leng & Li, 2018). This approach also promotes collaboration between different legal officers, hence enhancing the sufficient resolution of serial killings. The police, federal investigation bureau, and the homicide department work collaboratively based on the suggestions to capture a criminal.
Proactive Investigative Approach
Proactive investigative approaches play an equally important role in resolving serial murders. It is characterized by responses to passive criminal activities where the target is not in danger. The proactive strategy also relies on intelligence gathered over some time from witnesses. Unlike the reactive method, where the police intervene instantly, the aggressive investigative process does not require officers to respond promptly because the victim is not in immediate danger (Ribaux et al., 2021). However, the gathered intelligence culminates in the apprehension of the criminal, stopping further incidents. This approach is fundamental in investigating serial murders because the perpetrators can prove elusive to law enforcers.
The primary source of data for proactive investigative approaches is the policy enforcers. Unlike the reactive method that relies on public data, aggressive investigations are primarily informed by police’s initiatives (Ribaux et al., 2021). The exploratory bodies visit crime scenes, conduct interviews and polygraph tests, and use archival information about a crime to resolve misconduct (Ribaux et al., 2021). The different law implementation agencies collaborate by combining the diverse information gathered proactively for their suspects’ decisions. This approach is particularly crucial in apprehending elusive serial murderers.
The police have resolved numerous cases based on the proactive approach. In the past, such tools as DNA testing and the use of phenotypic genes to create a family tree based on the DNA did not exist. Policy implementers might have the criminal’s blood but could not match it to the perpetrator due to the limited technology (Leng & Li, 2018). However, recent advancements in technology provide tools that enable the police to identify criminals more precisely. Similarly, matching the DNA found on the crime scene to a perpetrator primarily depended on whether the policy enactment had the criminal’s details on the national database. In the absence of such records, the DNA would not be useful in resolving a crime (Ribaux et al., 2021). Genetic experts can now use drops of blood or strands of hair to match them to a serial killer and trace their familial background. Therefore, this approach is essential in serial murder investigations because it enhances collaboration between different investigative bodies, helps identify a killer’s modus operandi, and facilitates the perpetrator’s eventual apprehension.
Conclusion
Proactive and reactive investigative approaches play a crucial role in the capture and detention of serial murderers. Aggressive investigations rely on information that the undercover agencies collect independently, while reactive systems depend on witnesses’ data. The reactive method of analysis involves a rapid response to an ongoing crime, while the proactive techniques do not require the policy implementing officers to react immediately to crimes. The reactive method furnishes police officers with new information regarding a serial killer’s trends, motivation, and behavior during the crime.
The investigative agencies utilize investigated data to pursue and eventually apprehend the suspects. The proactive investigative techniques involve collecting and combining all relevant data gathered from various sources to form a mental map of the perpetrator’s behaviors. Information gathered during reactive investigations can also create an essential part of the proactive study. For example, reports of mysterious deaths or disappearances by multiple city residents alert the police about the possibility of a serial murderer in the area. The investigators use such information to build a profile of the possible suspect. Both techniques are vital in investigating serial murders because they help identify a serial murderer’s trends, enhance collaboration between the police force, and facilitate the eventual arrest of the murderer.
References
Leng, J., & Li, G. (2018). Big data-driven predictive policing innovation. In 2018 7th International Conference on Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development, pp. 123-127. Atlantis Press.
Ribaux, O., Delémont, O., Baechler, S., Roux, C., & Crispino, F. (2021). Digital transformations in forensic science and their impact on policing. In Policing in an Age of Reform, pp. 173-191. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.