(1) Dress. Since a person may change the clothing he was wearing, its
value for descriptive purposes is limited. Noticeable habits in manner of dress,
such as neatness, carelessness, and style, should be indicated. Clothing worn by a
person at the time of an offense or when last seen should be described in detail,
such as military (service or fatigue), civilian, mixed military and civilian,
color(s), and condition such as clean, soiled, torn, ragged, greasy, or
bloodstained.
(m) Personal
appearance.
Neat
or
untidy;
well-groomed
or
unkept;
refined or tough.
(n) Mannerisms and habits.
Often the mannerisms or traits of a person
will be the major key parts of his description.
Be alert to record such
characteristics as:
1. Feminine traits in men and masculine traits in women.
2. Mannerisms in walking, moving, or talking.
3. Outward emotional instability, nervousness, or indecision.
4. Type of companions preferred.
5. Subconscious mannerisms, such as scratching the nose, running the
hand through the hair, pulling on an ear, hitching up the pants, jingling keys, or
flipping coins.
6. Facial tics, muscular twitches, and excessive "talking" with the
hands.
7. Kind(s) of recreation preferred or hobbies pursued.
8. Jewelry worn and type(s) of jewelry preferred.
4.
Describing Objects. This is generally limited to those that are located at the
crime scene, or to those that have been said by a witness or victim to relate to
the case. Due to the great variation of objects which may be described, it is not
possible to prescribe a detailed pattern for their observation description.
However, as in the case of persons, begin with the general characteristics and
proceed to the more specific ones.
a. The description should be such as to define the general category of the
object and preclude its being confused with similar objects. This should include
those aspects of an object which may serve for a quick and conclusive recognition.
Thus, in the case of a motor vehicle, a general description should include whether
passenger or cargo type, make, model, color, and year of manufacture.
b. It is the specific feature that will distinguish an object from all
others of a similar kind.
The description will vary according to the type
of object; however, it should follow a general pattern, such as top to bottom,
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MP1016
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