CCP Geographic Profiling & Mapping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In geographic profiling, the 'buffer zone' refers to the area around the offender's home base where:
- Crime is most frequently committed
- Crimes are rarely committed because the offender fears recognition (Correct answer)
- Law enforcement focuses patrol efforts
- Victims are selected based on vulnerability
Correct answer: Crimes are rarely committed because the offender fears recognition
The buffer zone is a region immediately surrounding the offender's anchor point where they typically avoid offending due to fear of recognition.
Question 2: Which mathematical model underpins the Rigel geographic profiling software developed by Kim Rossmo?
- Bayesian probability networks
- Criminal geographic targeting (CGT) algorithm (Correct answer)
- Poisson distribution model
- Nearest-neighbor clustering
Correct answer: Criminal geographic targeting (CGT) algorithm
Rossmo's Rigel software uses the Criminal Geographic Targeting (CGT) algorithm to generate probability surfaces for offender residence.
Question 3: The 'journey-to-crime' concept is best described as:
- The psychological motivation driving offenders toward violent acts
- The spatial distance an offender travels from their anchor point to commit crimes (Correct answer)
- The investigative route detectives follow to solve geographic crime patterns
- The route victims travel before being targeted
Correct answer: The spatial distance an offender travels from their anchor point to commit crimes
Journey-to-crime refers to the distance and direction an offender travels from their home base or anchor point to commit offenses.
Question 4: Thiessen polygons (Voronoi diagrams) are used in crime mapping primarily to:
- Identify the offender's psychological profile based on crime locations
- Assign geographic areas of responsibility or catchment zones around fixed points (Correct answer)
- Calculate the statistical significance of crime clusters
- Determine the temporal sequence of serial crimes
Correct answer: Assign geographic areas of responsibility or catchment zones around fixed points
Thiessen polygons divide space into regions based on proximity to a set of points, useful for defining service areas or patrol zones around police stations.
Question 5: A commuter offender pattern in geographic profiling is characterized by:
- Crimes clustered tightly around the offender's home
- Offenses occurring far from the home base with travel to a distinct hunting ground (Correct answer)
- Random, unpredictable crime locations across a wide region
- Crimes committed exclusively along transportation corridors
Correct answer: Offenses occurring far from the home base with travel to a distinct hunting ground
Commuter offenders travel away from their home base to a separate area or hunting ground where they commit their crimes.
Question 6: In spatial analysis of serial crimes, 'spatial autocorrelation' measures:
- The time interval between successive offenses
- The degree to which nearby locations have similar crime values (Correct answer)
- The psychological relationship between crime type and location choice
- The distance between an offender's home and the crime scene
Correct answer: The degree to which nearby locations have similar crime values
Spatial autocorrelation quantifies how much nearby geographic units resemble each other in terms of crime rates or occurrence.
Question 7: The 'decay function' in geographic profiling describes:
- The degradation of forensic evidence over time at a crime scene
- The decreasing likelihood of an offender committing crimes as distance from their base increases (Correct answer)
- The diminishing accuracy of witness testimony after extended time periods
- The rate at which a criminal's activity slows after initial arrest
Correct answer: The decreasing likelihood of an offender committing crimes as distance from their base increases
The decay function models how crime probability decreases as distance from the offender's anchor point increases, beyond the buffer zone.
CCP Geographic Profiling & Mapping 2
In geographic profiling, the 'buffer zone' refers to the area around the offender's home base where: