NCJ Number
217117
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 57 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2007 Pages: 69-75
Date Published
January 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Based on a review of local media reports available on the Internet, this study examined the use of facial composites of suspects in the United States and their effectiveness in apprehending suspects.
Abstract
The study found that facial composites of suspects are frequently published in U.S. media and lead to identifications and arrests. An overall arrest rate of 10.6 percent was found for the sample of facial composites examined in this study. Of the 274 cases reviewed, 29 indicated that a suspect was apprehended. The success rate generally depended on the severity of the crime, with the exception of murder, when the composite construction was based on information provided by a bystander. Apprehensions were most likely to occur when the facial composite was circulated among both civilians and police officers. Further research should be able to compare the effectiveness of sketched compared with computerized facial composites. The Internet search found that the "Google News" search engine was the most effective of the search engines used, as it covered 4,500 periodicals, with about half of them being in the United States. A total of 274 cases of circulated facial composites were found. Statistics were compiled for the type of composite, the crime category, and whether or not a suspect was apprehended. The searches were conducted over a period of 100 days that spanned June through September 2003. The crimes involved were burglary, murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery, sexual assault, and "others" (mainly assault, arson, and larceny). 3 tables and 9 references