Geographic Profiling Essay

Origins of Geographic Profiling
The concept of geographic profiling, as a product of criminal profiling, can be traced back to Cesaro Lombroso (1876), the Father of Criminology. Lombroso’s theories of criminality emphasized the individual characteristics of the offender (e.g., as race, age, sex, gender, location). He was influenced by the evolutionary research of Darwin’s concept of the “born criminal,” posing that physical characteristics are indications of criminal predispositions (2007). Nonetheless, accounting for the era of which Darwin and Lombroso was most influential, with lack of science, it was reasonable to identify the characteristics of a criminal as opposite of the norm. The two historical figures are credited for establishing the basis of profiling.
Today, geographic profiling is mostly associated with Kim Rossmo, a Canadian Criminologist, providing a broadened outlook on criminal investigations. In 2005, Rossmo published research evaluating the faults in investigative procedures. He suggests that a main contributing factors to unsolved cases is the unconscious making of avoidable mistakes in organizational aspects of the actors

involved (i.e., scientist, judges, politicians, and detectives). These factors include low information levels, limited resources, and system pressure to obtain quick resorts (Rossmo, 2005). On balance, Rossmo’s findings correlates the demand of geographic profiling as means to render aid to organization errors in criminal investigation procedures. Furthermore, Rossmo's indicators of organizational clustering can be validated by assessing other factors of legal procedure (e.g., wrongful convictions).

Geographic Profiling & Lower Level Crimes
Lower level crimes or misdemeanor offenses, are nonviolent, observable and typically victimless.

Misdemeanors are common and less threatening to the safety of the public. Therefore, crimes as such are not prioritized due to the minimal harm and lack of need for scarce resources for its detection. However, this is not to devalue the importance of order maintenance incidents that disrupt social productivity. Rather, to recall the purpose of geographic profiling; to proactively respond to uncommon serial offenses that effect society on a larger scale. The complexity of serial crimes is the capacity in which it is committed. There are increased number of victims, less evidence, lack of offender motive (i.e., mental, emotional, and psychological influences) and serves as a substantial threat to the public (Ebisike,

2007).
If employed in traditional policing, the traditional role of street-level bureaucrats will become conflicted. That is, altering the role of law enforcement from a public mediator and law enforcer to a criminal profiler, forming discriminatory observations based on the characteristics of an individual. Which, ultimately is the role of geographic profiling; to develop a criminal profile of the possible suspect (i.e., personality) based on geographical information to the crime. However, if patrol officers were to proceed in similar manner as a criminal investigator, this jeopardizes individual liberties. Moreover, geographic profiling serves no use to lower level crimes. It is most beneficial in seeking evidence to resolve crimes that entail in-depth thought out calculations following commission of the crime rather than prevent or solve crimes committed openly.