Explorations in Policing, Faith and Life (With a hint of humor, product reviews, news and whatever catches my attention)

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Serial Killer Cops

The latest news on the attempt of California authorities to track down ex-LA PD officer Christopher Jordan Dorner after his murder spree has gotten me thinking about Serial Killer Cops (By FBI definition that is any victim count three and over at three incidents...if two or more in one place that is a spree killer).  There do not seem to be many of them out there.

Questions:

Is this due to screening processes that would preclude a pathological personality from getting onto a force to start with?

Is this due to their increased knowledge of law enforcement procedures and practices, so they are caught less?

Is this due to an element of borderline/pathological personalities not desiring to enter this field do to their internal processes?

Is this due to the common experiences of social isolation that these personality types experiences due to their no criminal actions?

If law enforcement has a unique position of detecting (a be it unknowingly) rejecting potential serial killers and routing them to another profession could this in some way be developed into a early warning system for persons that could one day become serial killers?

I think this would be an intriguing area to study in American law enforcement.

Here are some info on serial killers in law enforcement that I was able to locate.


Gerard John Schaefer (Wisconsin, March 25, 1946 – December 3, 1995) was an American serial killer from Florida. He was imprisoned in 1973 for murders he committed as a Martin County, Florida Sheriff's deputy.  While he was convicted of two murders, he was suspected of many others. Schaefer frequently appealed against his conviction, yet privately boasted — both verbally and in writing — of having murdered over 30 women and girls. (Source Wikipedia: link)

Manuel Pardo Jr.

A.K.A.: "Manny"
Classification: Spree killer
Characteristics: Former police officer
Number of victims: 9
Date of murders: January-April 1986
Date of arrest: May 7, 1986
Date of birth: September 24, 1956
Victims profile: Mario Amador, 33 / Roberto Alfonso, 28 / Luis Robledo, 37 / Ulpiano Ledo, 39 / Michael Millot, 43 / Fara Quintero, 28 / Sara Musa, 30 / Ramon Alvero, 40 / Daisy Ricard, 38
Method of murder: Shooting
Location: Florida, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on April 20, 1988. Executed by lethal injection in Florida on December 11, 2012
(Source Murderpedia link)(I know technically he is a spree killer)

And that is all I could find.

Sygyzy

Psalm 10:15
Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.



2 comments:

Juli Adcock said...

I find this subject fascinating as well. I've been reading works by 2 different experts on sociopathy and the questions you've asked are very thought provoking! I'm wondering if part of the reason for the rarity of police serial killers is due to risk management/aversion in departments. In essence, these aberrations are fired for excessive force and similar complaints before developing into full blown cases of serial murder. In the reading I've done, although many personality disorders and sociopathy are difficult to detect when at low levels, when someone degrades to the point of homicide, it seems their ability to maintain successful employment and professional relationships are impaired.

Badge at the feet of Christ said...

I agree. What seems unique is that the rarity of even ex law enforcement serial killers. Most every profession is represented in some fashion and usually, as you correctly pointed out, when their behavior becomes to chaotic they loose their employment. But it seems, at least in a cursory survey, they never even start a job in law enforcement.