Modus operandi
(plural modi operandi) is a Latin phrase,
approximately translated and backronymed as "mode of operation". The
term is used to describe someone's habits or
manner of working, their method of operating or functioning. In English,
it is frequently shortened to M.O.
The expression is
often used in police work when discussing a crime
and addressing the methods employed by the perpetrators. It is also used in criminal profiling, where it can help in finding
clues to the offender's psychology. It largely consists of examining the actions
used by the individual(s) to execute the crime, prevent its detection and/or
facilitate escape.
In the book Criminal
Investigation, B.L. Berg explains that a suspect's modus operandi
can help in identification, apprehension and/or repression. An M.O. file is an
orderly method of recording and coding information designed to reveal habits,
traits or practices of criminal suspects. This can then be used to aid in the
eventual apprehension of the suspect(s), and can also be used to determine
links between crimes.
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