The behavior of investigators during crime scene investigation plays a crucial role in the identification of the criminal. Milwaukee Police Department on July 22, 1991, found a man near an apartment building on North Street 25. A handcuff dangled from the wrist of the man who claimed to receive threats from inside. The claims of the victim encouraged police investigation. FBI headquarters then passed orders for Jaffrey Dahmer’s arrest after receiving the report. Crime scene investigation revealed many pieces of evidence that portrayed Dahmer as a brutal serial killer. FBI’s role was to provide forensic and investigative support. After the revelation of strange facts, the FBI was allowed to take investigations further. The Bureau under federal kidnapping stature permitted laboratory and identification services and gave authority to the local police at Milwaukee. Investigators tracked the killer’s trail throughout Wisconsin to identify victims (ROBINSON, 2012).
Investigations also involved behavioral analysts in studying the profile of Dahmer. Through investigations, the team managed to find the remains of eleven victims killed by the offender. Tools used for torture and dismemberment were discovered in the apartment. The investigators sent the samples of the victims for forensic analysis. The evidence provided against the killer included photographic content, computer examinations, DNA profiles, and other tests. DNA analysis determined Dahmer as the killer of 17 people. To resolve the case Bureau agents and analysts investigated Dahmer and revealed evidence that could link him to the murders of the victims. Investigators searched all places where Dahmer had lived including Florida, Ohio, and Germany. After his arrest, he confessed to the murders he committed. He also accepted his involvement in torture, abuse, and mutilation of the victims and corpses. Overall assessment of the crime scene investigation exhibits that the investigators adopted a neutral role (Schwartz, 1992).
Behavioral and environmental factors
Investigating crime involves complex and psychologically intriguing scenarios. Proper investigation demands controlling behaviors and perceptions that could influence the case. The behavioral and environmental factors influenced the investigations as the crime scene portrayed a horrific picture. Fear and disgust are prominent factors influencing the investigation. Motivated by fear the investigators were convinced to consider Dahmer as a killer before the inquiry. Fear and prejudgment are capable of affecting the neutrality of the investigations while the crime department emphasizes on adopting a neutral approach throughout the procedures. Environmental factors such as institutional pressures and social expectations provoked investigators to collect evidence that could prove the offender guilty. The existence of strange equipment and the remains of the dead bodies leads to a pre-judgment about the offender. External pressures including time constraints and workload motivated officers to create preferences related to the outcomes of investigative activities. Frequent encounters with officers with criminal events promote adverse affective reactions. Past experiences influence emotions and human cognition. Investigative tasks often involve judging and probability related to the event. Outcome knowledge inflates the perceived predictability of observed outcomes causing differences in officers’ foresight and judgments (Ask & Granhag, 2005).
Role of psychological profile
The psychological profile of the offender influenced him to murder, but he committed the crime under full consciousness. Violent criminal behavior was visible in the psychological profile of the offender. The problem of substance abuse also portrayed the offender as a mentally disturbed individual. The psychological profile influenced the subsequent court proceedings and investigations. Due to the exploration of the body parts and other strange things the investigators were convinced to recognize the Dahmer as insane. The role of the offender’s psychological profile is also apparent as the investigation involves behavioral and psychological analysts. The psychological profile of the offender also affected the prosecutions as the court was unable to decide until receiving confirmation that crimes occurred under the conscious mind. The psychopathic tendencies of the offender influenced the legal proceedings. Law enforcement officials were least interested in assessing the mental state and the psychological complexities of the offender (Nichols, 2006).
Impact of biases and assumptions
Biases and assumptions remained visible in Dahmer’s case influencing the prosecutor’s assessment. The decision of the court to release the offender irrespective of his sexual problems and dependence on substance abuse exhibits biases in judgments. Though the judge was unaware of Dahmer’s engagement in the killings of five men he did he ignored the probability of continuing crimes. The prosecutions did not carry out investigations to find Dahmer’s involvement in suspicious activities. Release provided an opportunity for the offender to continue his killings. The facts indicate that the investigations at the same time could uncover the same evidence and prevent Dahmer from committing further killings (ROBINSON, 2012).
Cultural-based behavioral patterns
Investigators’ perception of whiteness exhibits cultural-based behavioral patterns. The perception may or may not confirm the hypothesis of a homicide investigation. Delay in investigations depicts the tendency of investigators and prosecutors to preserve initial beliefs (Webber, 2007). Cultural-biased patterns become more visible when Dahmer managed to get bail on $10,000 for assaulting a child for immoral purposes in 1988. The release may have encouraged him towards further crimes. The authorities identified issues with the offender still allowing him a free life. He was involved in abusive acts before his revelations of seventeen killings. The facts claim that he masturbated in front of the children at the Wisconsin State Fair. A black man also claimed that Dahmer drugged and robbed him, but the police department neglected him. The prosecution accepted the claim of Dahmer’s attorney that he was sick irrespective of the probability of re-offense. Cultural-based patterns influenced the prosecution’s judgment as Dahmer was released shortly on the crime of assaulting a child (ROBINSON, 2012).
References
Ask, K., & Granhag, P. A. (2005). Motivational sources of confirmation bias in criminal investigations: The need for cognitive closure. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 2, 43-63.
Nichols, D. S. (2006). Tell me a story: MMPI responses and personal biography in the case of a serial killer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 86, 242-262.
ROBINSON, L. A. (2012). Dahmer and the Legal System. Retrieved Feb 13, 2018, from http://www.personal.psu.edu/bfr3/blogs/asp/2012/03/dahmer-and-the-legal-system.html
Schwartz, A. E. (1992). The man who could not kill enough: The secret murders of Milwaukee’s Jeffrey Dahmer. New York:: Birch Lane Press.
Webber, C. (2007). Revaluating relative deprivation theory. Theoretical Criminology, Vol 11, No 1.
