Modus Operandi of a Crime Series

Strategic, Tactical, and Administrative Crime Analysis

The type of analysis that is being performed when reviewing the incident summaries is tactical, as the crimes are all committed within a few weeks of one another in the same region and the aim of the review is to provide “information to assist operational personnel in the identification of crime trends and in the arrest of criminal offenders” (Beaverton Police, 2018).

As Bruce and Santos (2011) point out, a crime series is “a group of similar crimes thought to be committed by the same individual or group of individuals acting in concert” (p. 3). As these three robberies bear striking similarities to one another, the robberies may be considered a crime series. For example, the perpetrators were wearing the same masks in each case, took the same kind of cigarettes as well as cash, and in two of the three cases the same type of getaway vehicle was driven—a Ford Taurus (in the first case, the vehicle was not identified but it was most likely the same one). Thus, this should definitely be considered a crime series.

Clues that might help to establish the identity of either of the suspects include: 1) “a large tattoo of a spider with what looked like tattooed blood droplets coming out of where the spider’s feet were depicted entering the man’s right leg”; 2) the Ford Taurus with temporary tags; 3) and the name “Nemo” was used, directed at the driver of the getaway vehicle. Checking to see if there were temporary tags registered to a Nemo for a Ford Taurus could help to catch these individuals.

The elements of the modus operandi that remained consistent in each of the three incidents included: 1) wearing Halloween masks from the villains of the films Saw and Scream; 2) the clothing—blue jeans or black shorts and black hooded sweatshirt; 3) they carried guns; 4) they took Marlboro cigarette cartons in the first two cases; 5) in the first two cases, the robbers were two—in the third, there was one robber and the other waited in the car; 6) the first two locations were convenience stores and the third was a donut shop; 7) the same model getaway vehicle was identified in two of the three cases; 8) in two of the cases, the getaway car fled down Main Street; 9) the robbers took money out of the cash register either by jumping over the counter or using the keys from over the counter; 10) the crimes all took place late at night—near midnight or after, closer to 1 a.m.

In one of the incidents, the perpetrator wore shorts. In one of the cases, there was only one robber in the store—in the donut shop—and this robber used violence against the clerk, the butt of the gun to stop the girl’s screaming. In this same case, the name “Nemo” was used by the robber. And in this case, the type of store also differed—it was a donut shop whereas the other cases involved convenience stores. It might be hypothesized that the final robbery incident was not premeditated, that the robber went in without his accomplice knowing what he would do, as this was not the same type of place usually robbed by the two. The robber in this case was also wearing shorts and was not mindful

The work products that would be developed would include and intelligence product, which should do a number of things: “1. Identify the targeted consumer of the information (patrol officers, administrators, task force members, others). 2. Convey the critical information clearly. 3. Identify time parameters wherein the intelligence is actionable. 4. Provide recommendations for follow-up” (FAS, 2018, p. 80).

The product for this crime series therefore would be distributed to patrolling officers within this region (Main Street to South State Street) and an APB would be put out to look for a Ford Taurus, early 2000s model potentially with temporary tags. A search of the database for Nemo and for the tattoo designed to see if it appears in any records of a prior arrest should also be conducted.
A profile should also be put out for individuals who have possession of Halloween masks on them—in particularly a Saw mask and a Scream mask. The black hooded sweatshirt should also be part of the description released but this should not be the primary identifying target.

The time frame in which the officers should also be most vigilant of these crimes should also be given as the crimes were all committed late at night. Thus, late night patrol should be particularly mindful of looking out for a Ford Taurus in this stretch of the community and there should be multiple officers involved in monitoring both Main Street and South State Street at these particular times of night. Two individuals should be considered the primary suspects. The product report should include that these suspects are to be considered armed and potentially dangerous, as one assault was committed, though it is not known if the guns were loaded.

References

Beaverton Police. (2018). Types of criminal analysis. Retrieved from https://beavertonpolice.org/DocumentCenter/View/60/Types-of-Crime-Analysis

Bruce, C., & Santos, R. B. (2011). Crime pattern definitions for Tactical Analysis. Standards Methods and Technology (SMT) Committee.

FAS. (2018). Law Enforcement Intelligence Classifications, Products, and Dissemination. Retrieved from https://fas.org/irp/agency/doj/lei/chap6.pdf