The Victims

         From 1999 through 2003 there were  more fatalities involving violent crime in the United States than fatalities in all the wars and conflicts fought in the last 40 years, Vietnam included.

         Who were these unfortunate souls? Who is most likely to be the victim of a homicide and why ? Simple, anyone and for any reason. It can be anyone from the President of the United States (Lincoln, Garfield, Kennedy) to a resident of the local homeless shelter. It can be an imprisoned  serial killer (Jeffrey Dahmer) or someone as innocent and free as a 6 year old girl (Jon-Benet Ramsey). It can be a nameless migrant worker or a powerful union boss (Jimmy Hoffa).

         According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, between 1999 and    2003, in the United States a total of 68,973 people were the victims of a homicide with September11th not included. Of those victims, 45,197 were murdered with a firearm, 8,917 were murdered with knives or some sort of cutting instrument, 14,859 were murdered with anything from poison, hands, feet, to explosives.

         In 2003, of the 14,408 that were murdered, 225 were infants, 1,333   were under 18 years old. 12,811  were over 18 with the majority in the 18 thru 44 year old range. Over 300 were over 75 years old!      

         Homicide victims, the reasons and the methods utilized for their murder are as diverse as  the population of the United States. Yet these victims for the most part have one thing in common, they have a history that would be of interest to the homicide detective assigned to investigate their unfortunate demise. Victimology was an often overlooked component of a homicide investigation,  yet it may be the only path to the identification of those responsible for this crime.

         In the mid 1990s the NYPD redefined law enforcement world wide when it implemented the "CompStat" method of policing. CompStat began with computerized tracking of crime trends throughout the city and evolved into a strategy scrutinizing every aspect of policing, holding all accountable. Boro commanders were held accountable for the crime trends, precincts and other units under their command, precinct commanders were held accountable for crime trends and precinct operations and so forth. In the detective squads, under the CompStat scrutiny, victimology became a focal point in homicide investigations.

Victimology

         What is victimology? If you ask ten detectives they will give you ten different answers yet they will probably all be correct. In fact, my spell-check keeps correcting me with victim logy yet my on-line dictionary accepts it as victimology! Victimology seemed so simple. A very basic definition of victimology is the study of why certain people are victims of crime, but it is also the study of how crime impacts these very same victims. As detectives we  focus on the former for we are more concerned with apprehending a perpetrator than the latter. We investigate the victim to apprehend the perpetrator.

         A prostitute that is the victim of a homicide would have a completely different profile than that of a Wall Street banker who is the victim of that very same fate. As such, as their profile develops, the detective will key in on certain aspects of this profile to prioritize the path the investigation will take. Same crime, two very different victims, with probably two equally different perpetrators and motives.

         A victim known to a law enforcement agency with a several prior arrests for narcotics related offences is more often than not  murdered for narcotics related motives. While this statement is rather broad, it would be a logical road to pursue barring any other lead. Why was this person killed?

• Was it "drug rip"?

• Was he selling beat stuff or poor quality drugs?

• Was he a snitch?

•  Is this a turf war?

• Was he killed by one of his own associates?

• Was he murdered by a boss? Worker?

         An example of what a detective may do in the case of this murdered drug dealer may be to review his most recent arrests and ascertain if he was arrested with other individuals. If so, they may be located and questioned for knowledge of the crime or leads to pursue. The victim's name and or prints may be compared with other agencies (DEA, ATF, FBI) to see if this victim was under investigation by another agency. That investigation may provide a lead.

                 A little over a third of females murdered in the United States are murdered by a spouse or former spouse, boyfriend or ex-boyfriend. Only about 3 percent of males murdered are victims of the same fate. In short, they are victims of intimate crime. So if a detective, barring any other lead, focused on a murdered female's intimate relationships in both past and present relationships, he would be correct in over a third of the cases. Victimology is the obvious lead to pursue.

         Victimology is the thorough review of the victim's numerous characteristics including social, financial, and health. Although every homicide is different, the following is an example of some of the characteristics that  should be looked into when profiling a victim:

• marital status (girlfriend, wife may provide valuable information or may be the perpetrator!)

• history of domestic violence (as victim or aggressor)

• occupation

• social life style (hangs out at local bar, social club, pool hall)

• friends and enemies

• recent disputes

• controlled substance and alcohol abuse history

• prior arrest history

• prior complainant (how often, what types of complaints)

• is the victim an identified perpetrator (is there complaint report listing victim as perpetrator in a crime?)

• witness to a crime or ongoing investigation

• an informant  (Once responded to a street homicide in which the informant had an ankle bracelet due to court required confinement to his residence. He  ignored the court order with fatal consequences.)

• employment and /or business history

• diaries, business records, list of contacts

• phone, e-mail records

• last known activities, with who, and include a timeline of events

• health for many reasons (the age and health condition in a double homicide investigation of an elderly couple,  provided an accurate time of death at the autopsy. With the known contents of their last meal and time of meal, the stomach contents revealed approximate time of death!)

         In the past, the importance of victimology was overlooked because it was seen as mundane by the investigator, yet nothing can be farther from the truth. The victimology component of a homicide investigation possesses one quality that cannot be measured, the opportunity for the detective to meet his victim on a more personal basis. Victimology speaks of and for the homicide victim.