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 Director's Message

To further law enforcement cooperation, this issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin con­tinues the reporting begun in August 1985, of developments in the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The need for interagency cooperation in law enforcement has become even more vital with the problem of the serial violent criminal. This highly mobile, repetitive offender often eludes identification and apprehension by law enforcement because his crimes transcend jurisdictional boundaries. This offender often confounds the investigations of separate police agencies where he operates which may not be aware of similar crimes elsewhere.

The FBI, in its dual role as a Federal criminal justice agency and as a law enforce­ment service organization, offers assistance to other agencies investigating these violent of­fenses through its NCAVC. The center is a law enforcement-oriented behavioral science and computerized resource center which con­solidates research, training, and investigative support functions. It was jointly planned by the Department of Justice agencies of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Office of Justice Assistance, Research and Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, several State and local law enforcement agencies, and the FBI. NIJ initially funded the pilot project, but today the center is totally sup­ported within the FBI's budget.

This special issue of the Bulletin describes the development of the center, its four major programs, and the center's services now available to law enforcement agencies. It also discloses how the center is providing training for police officers. The new insights into the criminal personality and the innovative investigative techniques developed as a result of research and case experiences of the center are immediately incorporated into training curricula. This new knowledge is also being disseminated to the law enforcement community through articles in professional journals, such as the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, in addition to the center's direct training efforts.

All of us in law enforcement must work together to combat the violent criminal and use every technique available to us. Inscribed on the courtyard wall of FBI Headquarters is our belief: "The most effective weapon against crime is cooperation .. . the efforts of all law enforcement agencies with the support and under­ standing of the American people." The center is now an important asset to law enforcement in the struggle to control the serial violent offender.