Final answer:
The assertion that information about a specific suspect is the key to solving crimes and making arrests is false. Various methods like geographic and criminal profiling are employed alongside eyewitness accounts and analysis of evidence to solve crimes. Suspect information is essential, but it is only one aspect of a complex process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the key to solving crimes and making arrests is information about a specific suspect is false. Solving crimes often involves a range of factors and methods beyond just information about a suspect. One essential method is geographic profiling, which utilizes spatial patterns in criminal behavior to predict future crimes and even the offender's location. This creates a scientific approach to understanding where crimes might occur based on principles like distance decay, suggesting that criminals commit crimes within a certain distance from their homes or workplaces, yet not too close to avoid recognition.
However, solving crimes is not just about locating suspects. Eyewitness accounts, while crucial, can be compromised by problems such as suggestibility or misinformation, leading to false memories and identifications. Therefore, law enforcement combines information with rigorous analysis including crime scene evidence, eyewitness testimony, tips (like the 140,000 tips received during the DC sniper case), and criminal behaviors to solve crimes.
Investigators may also rely on court system data, police databases, interviews, and advanced tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and formulas like Rossmo's Formula for criminal profiling. These methods supplement the lack of direct evidence from a crime scene. Ultimately, while the suspect's information is important, it is just one piece of the larger puzzle in crime-solving.