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Special Forces Tracking and Countertracking

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INTRODUCTION

1-1. This TC describes traditional tracking through rural terrain and, to a lesser extent, discusses urban tracking. Understanding the ancient art and science of tracking lays a firm foundation for a variety of activities useful in SF operations. A Soldier trained in tracking techniques can use deception maneuvers that minimize telltale signs and throw off or confuse poorly trained trackers who do not have the experience to spot the signs of a deception.

1-2. An understanding of the thought processes and the TTP used in traditional tracking are useful as an adjunct to and a basis for understanding an array of modern, technologically-based tracking activities. Traditionally, tracking has been defined as the art of being able to follow people or animals by the signs they leave when they move. Today, it is possible to track the enemies of the United States through electronic means, such as the equipment used with...

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A Study Of Lip Movements During Spontaneous Dialog And Its Application To Voice Activity Detection

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This paper presents a quantitative and comprehensive study of the lip movements of a given speaker in different speech / non speech contexts, with a particular focus on silences (i.e., when no sound is produced by the speaker). The aim is to characterize the relationship between “lip activity” and “speech activity”, and then to use visual speech information as a Voice Activity Detector (VAD). To this aim, an original audio-visual corpus was recorded with two speakers involved in a face-to-face spontaneous dialog, although being in separate rooms. Each speaker communicated with the other using a microphone, a camera, a screen, and headphones. This system was used to capture separate audio stimuli for each speaker and to monitor each speaker’s lip movements in synchrony with the recorded sound. A comprehensive analysis was carried out on the lip shapes and lip movements corresponding to either silence sections or non-silence sections (i.e. speech + non-speech audible events). A single visual parameter, defined to characterize the lip movements, was

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The Criminal Profiling Illusion: What’s Behind the Smoke and Mirrors?

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Criminal profiling (CP) is the practice of predicting a criminal’s personality, behavioral, and demographic characteristics based on crime scene evidence (Douglas, Ressler, Burgess, & Hartman, 1986; Hicks & Sales, 2006). This practice is being utilized by police agencies around the world despite no compelling scientific evidence that it is reliable, valid, or useful (Snook, Eastwood, Gendreau, Goggin, & Cullen, 2007). This disparity between the use and the lack of empirical support leads one to consider the question Why do people believe CP works despite the lack of evidence? We explain this criminal profiling illusion in terms of the nature of the information about CP that is presented to the people and how they process that information.

Our article is divided into five sections. First, we outline current knowledge of CP techniques, the frequency with which CP is used in criminal investigations, and the extent to which police officers and mental health professionals perceive CP as a valuable tool. Second, we argue...

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Solicitation: Evidence-Based Model Programs for Cold Case Units

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Specific Information—Evidence-Based Model Programs for Cold Case Units

In the publication Cold Case Squads: Leaving No Stone Unturned, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) states that cold cases are among the most difficult and frustrating cases detectives face. These are cases that the initial investigators, for whatever reason, could not solve. To tackle this problem, many U.S. police agencies have established cold case squads. Cold case squads can be especially useful in locating and working with past and potential witnesses and reviewing physical evidence to identify suspects. Cold case squads also perform an outreach and networking role and can assist other jurisdictions with cold case investigations, as appropriate. In a special report entitled Using DNA to Solve Cold Cases, NIJ discussed the role that advances in DNA technology can play in investigating and solving cold cases. Although DNA is not the only forensic tool of value to unsolved case...

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Polygraph Verification Test

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Abstract

This paper involves fifty-one re-examinations of original polygraph tests that resulted in conflicted outcomes and examinations where deliberate distortions were believed to have been employed. The Polygraph Validation Test (PVT) was successfully employed in these re-examinations to rectify the original problems and/or confirm attempts by examinees at countermeasures or augmentations.

Additional Resource: Using the Polygraph Validation Test (PVT) in Solving Conflicted Polygraph Results and Confirming Deliberate Distortions by Examinees (2962 downloads )

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The Importance of Careful Interpretation of Shell Casing Ejection Patterns

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Abstract:

An experiment was conducted to gain information about shell casing ejection patterns. The research project showed that shell casing ejection patterns are dependent on a number of variables: type of firearm, stance, hand and weapon position (grip), and movement.

Background

A review of the literature indicated some disparity in the opinions of crime scene investigators concerning the position of casings related to shooting incidents. Ogle notes that the "location of fired cartridge cases may be valuable in a reconstruction attempt of the shooting incident. The location(s) of the shooter(s) may be determined by the analysis of the locations of the fired cases" [1]. Gardner writes that firearms examiners conduct, on occasion, ejection studies with the purpose of determining the distance and direction that a casing will eject when the weapon is held in any given orientation. He continues by noting that ejection studies have limited value, because casings will roll when...

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Sex, Lies, and Strategic Interference: The Psychology of Deception Between the Sexes

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The desires of one sex can lead to deceptive exploitation by the other sex. Strategic Interference Theory proposes that certain “negative” emotions evolved or have been co-opted by selection, in part, to defend against deception and reduce its negative consequences. In Study 1 (N = 217) Americans reported emotional distress in response to specific forms of deception. Study 2 (N = 200) replicated the results in a German sample. Study 3 (N = 479) assessed Americans’ past experiences with deception and conducted additional hypothesis tests using a procedure to control for overall sex differences in upset. Each study supported the hypothesis that emotions track sex-linked forms of strategic interference. Three clusters of sex differences proved robust across studies emotional upset about resource deception, commitment deception, and sexual deception. We discuss implications for theories of mating and emotion and directions for research based on models of antagonistic coevolution between the sexes

Cooperation between a man and a woman is virtually a...

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Sex Murder and the Potential Sex Murderer

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Problems Encountered in the Study of Sexual Murder

• No generally agreed-upon definition
• Many seemingly sexual murders are not really sexually motivated
• Many sexual murders are not overtly sexual
• Distinction between a sexual homicide and a homicide associated with sexual behavior is often blurred
• No national crime statistics exist
• Practical impediments such as incomplete and inaccurate background histories, low base rate, lack of interdisciplinary cooperation, and not being labeled institutionally are common.

Four Types of Sexual Murder

• Outgrowth of sexual conflicts (catathymic)
• Fusion of sex and aggression (compulsive)
• Murder to cover up sex crime
• Sex-related homicide

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Critical Incidence Response Group FBI Acadamy – Sexual Homicide

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The Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) is a division of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. CIRG enables the FBI to rapidly respond to, and effectively manage, special crisis incidents in the United States.

History

In response to public outcry over the standoffs at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and of the Branch Davidians in the Waco Siege, the FBI formed the CIRG in 1994 to deal more efficiently with crisis situations. The CIRG is designated to formulate strategies, manage hostage or siege situations, and, if humanly possible, resolve them "without loss of life," as FBI Director Louis Freeh, who assumed the post four-and-a-half months after the Waco fire, pledged in a 1995 Senate hearing.

CIRG was intended to integrate tactical and investigative resources and expertise for critical incidents which necessitate an immediate response from law enforcement authorities. CIRG will deploy investigative specialists to respond to terrorist activities, hostage takings, child abductions and other

Additional Resource: Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Critical Incident Response Group Tactical Section Procurements (59 downloads )

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Serial Murder Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators

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I. Introduction

Serial murder is neither a new phenomenon, nor is it uniquely American. Dating back to ancient times, serial murderers have been chronicled around the world. In 19th century Europe, Dr. Richard von Krafft-Ebing conducted some of the first documented research on violent, sexual offenders and the crimes they committed. Best known for his 1886 textbook Psychopathia Sexualis, Dr. Kraft-Ebing described numerous case studies of sexual homicide, serial murder, and other areas of sexual proclivity. Serial murder is a relatively rare event, estimated to comprise less than one percent of all murders committed in any given year. However, there is a macabre interest in the topic that far exceeds its scope and has generated countless articles, books, and movies. This broad-based public fascination began in the late 1880s, after a series of unsolved prostitute murders occurred in the Whitechapel area of London. These murders were committed by an unknown individual who named himself “Jack the Ripper” and sent letters to the police claiming to be the killer....

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Multiple Murder And Criminal Careers: A Latent Class Analysis Of Multiple Homicide Offenders

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1. Introduction

Criminology abounds with typologies that seek to describe relatively homogeneous groupings of criminals. Admittedly, these classification systems face a difficult task because offenders tend to commit versatile forms of antisocial behavior that do not fit exclusively into discrete groups [1,2]. This issue is particularly pronounced in homicide studies, which often contain variably defined groups including serial killers, mass murderers, spree killers, lust murderers, murderesses, organized killers, disorganized killers, and the like. To illustrate, Hickey [3, p. 225] observed that, ‘‘depending on the authority one chooses to read, one will find between two and eleven different types of murderers. Some typologies of murder are descriptions of causation, whereas others are diagnostic in nature.’’ There are other potential limitations to typologies of homicide offenders. First, the typology is dependent on the researcher’s purpose in creating it—whether for academic publishing or applied...

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Ad Hoc Arsenals PSSM Practices of Selected Non-state Actors

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The physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) of small arms and light weapons and their associated ammunition is a topic of growing interest to researchers and policy-makers. In recent years the Small Arms Survey and other research organizations have examined national (government) PSSM practices and international standards. These analyses have shed new light on the strengths and shortcomings of existing controls and the dangers associated with poor PSSM. With some notable exceptions,1the PSSM practices adopted by armed groups have received far less attention. Yet their arsenals often contain similar weapons and ammunition to those of government arsenals and cause similar problems when not properly secured or maintained. The small arms and light weapons held by armed groups pose multiple threats. Weapons that are lost or stolen from poorly secured stockpiles can fuel conflict and violent crime, both locally and abroad. Poor stockpile management practices can also lead to or fail

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Interpretations Of Legal Criteria For Involuntary Psychiatric Admission: A Qualitative Analysis

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Abstract

Background: The use of involuntary admission in psychiatry may be necessary to enable treatment and prevent harm, yet remains controversial. Mental health laws in high-income countries typically permit coercive treatment of persons with mental disorders to restore health or prevent future harm. Criteria intended to regulate practice leave scope for discretion. The values and beliefs of staff may become a determinating factor for decisions. Previous research has only to a limited degree addressed how legal criteria for involuntary psychiatric admission are interpreted by clinical decision-makers. We examined clinicians’ interpretations of criteria for involuntary admission under the Norwegian Mental Health Care Act. This act applies a status approach, whereby involuntary admission can be used at the presence of mental disorder and need for treatment or perceived risk to the patient or others. Further, best interest assessments carry a large justificatory burden and open for a range of extra-legislative factors to be considered.

Methods: Deductive thematic analysis was used. Three ideal types of attitudes-to-coercion were developed,

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Fundamentals of Probability and Statistical Evidence in Criminal Proceedings

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Introduction to Communicating and Interpreting Statistical Evidence in the Administration of Criminal Justice

0.1 Context, Motivation and Objectives

Statistical evidence and probabilistic reasoning today play an important and expanding role in criminal investigations, prosecutions and trials, not least in relation to forensic scientific evidence (including DNA) produced by expert witnesses. It is vital that everybody involved in criminal adjudication is able to comprehend and deal with probability and statistics appropriately. There is a long history and ample recent experience of misunderstandings relating to statistical information and probabilities which have contributed towards serious miscarriages of justice.

0.2 English and Scottish criminal adjudication is strongly wedded to the principle of lay factfinding by juries and magistrates employing their ordinary common sense reasoning. Notwithstanding the unquestionable merits of lay involvement in criminal trials, it cannot be assumed that jurors or lay magistrates will have been equipped by their general education to cope with the forensic demands of statistics or probabilistic reasoning.

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The Restatement (Third) Of Restitution And Unjust Enrichment: Some Introductory Suggestions

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Professor and Reporter Andrew Kull has brought reason and order to the law of restitution and unjust enrichment. He has done so with elegant expression and architecture, incisive and insightful comments, and careful analysis and research. With constructive suggestions from his advisers and consulting members of the American Law Institute and other scholars, judges, and lawyers in the United States and elsewhere, and with the careful examination and approval of drafts by the Institute‟s Council and membership, he has produced a masterpiece, the Restatement (Third) of Restatement and Unjust Enrichment. He has reestablished the subject as as a crucial building block of the law along with Contracts and Torts. In this introductory comment, I will first summarize the structure and key points of the new Restatement and then, using two examples, examine briefly whether and how it might be used to address new claim...

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Risk Factors – Warning Signs of Suicide

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The most common risk factors associated with youth suicide include depression, previous suicide attempts, frequent thought about death, and the use of drugs or alcohol. The following information was accessed from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Website to provide you with additional information about identifying and managing potentially suicidal patients. Many of the signs and symptoms of suicide are similar to those of depression:

• Change in eating and sleeping habits • Withdrawal from friends, family, and regular activities • Violent actions, rebellious behavior, or running away • Drug and alcohol use • Unusual neglect of personal appearance • Marked personality change • Persistent boredom, difficulty concentrating, or a decline in the quality of schoolwork • Frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often related to emotions, such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, etc. • Loss of interest in pleasurable activities • Not tolerating praise or rewards

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