ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how a profiling consultation is initiated, the type of information needed to develop it, how it assists an investigation, what a geographical analysis adds, and the role of profiling methods in several types of scenarios. Three types of profiling are described in the literature: criminal investigative, clinical practitioner, and statistical or empirical. In addition, several movies and television series portray criminal profiling erroneously, and even the methodology can be mentally misrepresented. Once victim details are known and a timeline devised with as much information as possible, the crime scene and offenders' methodology are evaluated for how best to categorize them. Analysing potential settings for victim stalking helps to narrow the focus to the most promising places, and in this area investigator might then locate witnesses or possible survivors of a similar attack who might not have reported it. As with psychological autopsies, background on victims is vital to devising an accurate and helpful profile.
