NCJ Number
201479
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 30 Issue: 7 Dated: July, 2003 Pages: 130-135
Date Published
July 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the use of the Environmental Criminology Research Inc.'s (ECRI's) Rigel Profiler, a geographic profiling software system.
Abstract
The Rigel Profiler is built on the principles of geographic profiling developed by then-Constable Kim Rossmo of the Vancouver Police Department. In order to use the program, an investigator must have linked a series of crimes with a minimum of four events in the crime series. Geographic profiling, though developed as a separated profiling analysis, works well in tandem with psychological profiling. The article describes the components of the Rigel Profiler system; it contains the patented Criminal Geographic Targeting (CGT) algorithm, a mathematical model of a criminal's patterns and how he moves within his hunting zone. Once programmed with the required data concerning the criminal pattern, the program shows a two- or three-dimensional map of where the suspect most likely lives. Rigel can also generate statistical reports for each suspect, including spatial statistics and an analysis of how well suspects fit the profile. The article next explains that geographic profiling can be used for crimes other than serial crimes and serious violent crimes. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the obstacles to information sharing between regional law enforcement agencies.