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.
I.A.D. Internal Affairs Division; a division that investigates complaints against police or other department personnel.
ingratiation a technique in which an interrogator flatters and befriends a suspect in order to get the suspect to drop his or her guard.
Integrated Ballistics Identification System an
archive of bullet and shell evidence from crime scenes across the United States. Computers are employed to look for matches.
inventive witness a witness who makes up or embellishes details in order to be involved in a case and feel important.
informer one who provides police with information concerning a crime.
john a prostitute's male customer.
jumper a bail jumper.
K-9 division trained police dogs, used in sniffing out drugs, in tracking and attacking fleeing suspects, or in locating corpses.
latent fingerprints fingerprints formed by perspiration or oils, which cannot be seen by the human eye but can be revealed by a variety of techniques.
lead a clue.
leading question a question posed by interrogators in a manipulative or misleading way in order to elicit the desired response from witnesses or suspects. The answer given to such a question is often inadmissible in court.
lie detector see polygraph.
lineup a group of men or women arranged in a line, from which a witness must identify a suspect in a crime.
liquid-chromatography mass spectrometer a variation of the gas-chromatography mass spectrometer, used for similar purposes.
lividity discoloration of a body caused by the pooling of blood after death; it can be used to help determine the time of death.
Luminol a chemical used to detect blood, even when diluted 10,000 times.
manhunt a coordinated search for a fugitive.
mark a victim of a crime; a dupe.
marshal a U.S. federal officer in charge of processing court orders.
maximization an interrogation technique in which a detective tries to convince a suspect that the police have much more evidence in a case than they really do in order to elicit a confession.
medical examiner (M.E.) one who is not an elected official, as a coroner is, but rather is hired by a county or city to perform the same duties.
microexpressions very brief and partial facial expressions that occur after being shown or told something with emotional content and which occur too quickly to fully conceal. Such expressions are readily detected by a skilled interrogator.
minimization an interrogation technique in which a detective plays down the seriousness of a crime or casts blame on others or circumstances, in order to relax a suspect and get him or her to confess.
Miranda rule law that requires an arresting officer to read an arrestee his or her constitutional rights, including the right to an attorney and the right to remain silent.
M.O. modus operandi; a criminal's method of operating.
most wanted list the FBI's roster of extremely dangerous criminals at large.
moulage a cast impression of a footprint or shoe print.
MP military police.
nab informal, to catch or arrest.
narc slang for a narcotics officer.
narcotics division a division that handles crimes dealing with narcotics.
nightstick see baton.
odontology the study of the characteristics of teeth, sometimes used to identify remains.