Descriptionary

depersonalization a form of denial in which a mur­derer objectifies a victim in a variety of ways, includ­ing covering the victim's face or disfiguring it beyond recognition in order to remain detached.

detective a police officer who investigates crimes.

detention the holding of a criminal by the police.

division see precinct.

disorganized referring to criminal behavior that is largely unplanned, sloppy, and impulsive and leaves lots of evidence behind.

DNA database an archive of DNA profiles from serious criminals, used to provide matches when DNA evidence is left behind at crime scenes.

DNA fingerprinting the identification of a criminal by examination of DNA in blood, hair, semen, etc., left behind at the scene of a crime.

DOA dead on arrival.

dragnet a coordinated, all-out search for a criminal.

entrapment the luring of someone into an illegal act, disallowed by law.

facial identification system (FIS) computerized system for matching facial features and identifying criminals.

false arrest an arrest of a person for reasons that are legally unsupportable.

false confession a coerced confession given by an exhausted suspect, who is in fact innocent of any crime. Police, using old-style interrogation techniques, may intentionally or unintentionally intimidate, manipulate, or brainwash suspects who are young, mentally retarded, mentally ill, or elderly into admit­ting guilt when no guilt exists. Such techniques are increasingly being abolished.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) a division of the United States Department of Justice, a national agency assigned to investigate such crimes as bank robberies, espionage, kidnapping, sabotage, govern­ment fraud, and civil rights violations, originating in 1908.

finger to accuse a person of a crime based on evi­dence.

FIS see facial identification system.

forensic anthropology the analysis of bones to determine a homicide victim's age, gender, and any traumas or diseases suffered. May also be used to identify remains through DNA analysis.

forensic artist an artist who sketches a picture of a suspect by eyewitness accounts, often aided by com­puter programs.

forensic chemistry a crime lab specialty involving the analysis and identification of fibers, hairs, par­ticles, paints, dyes, chemicals, etc.

forensic entomology the study of insects, especially their attraction to corpses and when they tend to lay eggs on them. Time of death can sometimes be deter­mined by the presence of insects and their eggs alone.

forensic geology the study and analysis of stones and soils, sometimes used to narrow down or pin­point where a criminal has walked or driven by resi­due left on shoes or tires.

forensic medicine the science involved in uncover­ing the medical facts concerning a criminal law case.

forensic pathology medical specialty used to deter­mine the cause and time of death.

forensic sculptor a crime lab artist who sculpts a three-dimensional likeness of a victim or suspect.

forensic serology the study and analysis of body fluids, used to identify victims or suspects through blood typing, semen, DNA, etc.

frisk to pat down a suspect in search of weapons or contraband.

fugitive section a division within a large depart­ment that investigates and captures fugitives.

garden room slang for the morgue.

gas-chromatography mass spectrometer a crime lab machine used to identify substances, especially illicit drugs, with a high degree of accuracy.

geographical profiling forming a pattern of loca­tions where serial crimes are being committed, which may provide a clue to the perpetrator's home neigh­borhood.

headspace the area directly above burned debris in the aftermath of an arson fire. In a set fire, acceler­ant evaporates and forms hydrocarbons, which are deposited above the fire. Lab analysis via "headspace gas chromatography" can identify the presence of these hydrocarbons, although sometimes "sniffer" dogs may be used.

heat slang for the police.

heist a robbery.

hit man a contracted killer.

holding pen a cell where the newly arrested wait to be booked.

homicide division the division within a department that investigates and processes murders.

hostile attributional bias a common psychologi­cal malfunction in which faulty perception of hostile intent impels a criminal to assault or attack someone.

hot slang for stolen.

hydrocarbons residue formed during the evapora­tion of accelerants in a fire, used as evidence in arson cases.