Utah Investigators Turn Expertise Into Software Program

Utah Investigators Turn Expertise Into Software Program


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John Hollenhorst reportingTwo Utah investigators, who have developed expertise on serial killers and rapists, are translating their knowledge into a computer software program. They hope it will help police agencies solve some of their toughest cases.

Investigators Mike King and Greg Cooper have interviewed dozens of serial killers and rapists. They give seminars and workshops to help police solve some of their most troubling cases.

Serial killers don't become famous by getting caught early in their careers. Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer all killed over and over for years without being detected.

Former FBI Profiler Greg Cooper and state investigator Mike King say a growing percentage of serial killer cases are remaining unsolved.

In a typical serial killer or rapist scenario, the toll of victims mounts because detectives don't link up the cases early enough.

King & Cooper are now developing software to help make those connections. It will assist detectives in creating psychological profiles, interviewing suspects, and sharing information across jurisdictions.

Greg Cooper: "Because that's a typical kind of behavior that is employed by an offender, is to travel around dropping bodies off at different locations so it's difficult for law enforcement to communicate with each other. "

Mike King: "The software is built so that the computers can talk to each other, that they can mine data from each other so they can come back and say. 'Detective five, you've got a case that's very similar to detective three. You two ought to be talking'."

Their software has been undergoing testing in Ohio. It's nearly ready for rollout to police agencies around the country.

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