NCJ Number
77605
Journal
International Criminal Police Review Issue: 340 Dated: (August/September 1980) Pages: 190-206
Date Published
1980
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Forms made available by the French Interpol National Central Bureau provide rational, uniform guidelines for collecting and comparing information about the identities of criminals.
Abstract
Under the high stress of witnessing someone commit a criminal offense, powers of observation are greatly inhibited. For this reason, prior study of instructions setting out a rational approach and orienting observation around certain key points can help a potential witness develop efficient and reflex reactions of obervation. The forms presented could be adapted for use in training the staff of certain establishments, whose work may possibly involve visual identification of someone committing an offense. The form checklists have five sections--general characteristics, simplified description of the face, dress, weapons, and transport. General characteristics include sex, apparent ethnic type, apparent age, height, build, gait, and voice, along with distinguishing features. The simplified description of the face is obtained through a choice of illustrations that focus separately on the shape of the face, forehead, hair, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, chin, and ears. The description of dress focuses on the head, hands, body, and feet. The identification of weapons targets the type of weapon, using illustrative silhouettes of rifles and shotguns, machine pistols, and pistols and revolvers. Transport identification focuses on what the 'loot' was carried in and what the offender used to arrive at and escape from the scene of the crime. Each element has its place on a numbered form to facilitate recording the information during investigations. Local investigators can send copies of their descriptions to a central file to make possible connections between cases in different jurisdictions.