Under what interrogative would a MO apply?

Under what interrogative would a MO apply?

• A. How
• B. What
• C. When
• D. Where

Answer: (A)

Modus operandi describes the offender’s method of operation—the sequence of actions, techniques, tools, and procedures used to commit the crime. Because it focuses on the manner in which the crime is carried out, it answers the question of how the crime was done. The other interrogatives target different aspects: what identifies the event or objects used, when asks about timing, and where asks about location. So the MO applies under the interrogative How, since that is about the method employed. In investigations, looking at MO helps link offenses that were carried out in a similar way, not merely those that happened at the same time or place.

Modus operandi describes the offender’s method of operation—the sequence of actions, techniques, tools, and procedures used to commit the crime. Because it focuses on the manner in which the crime is carried out, it answers the question of how the crime was done. The other interrogatives target different aspects: what identifies the event or objects used, when asks about timing, and where asks about location. So the MO applies under the interrogative How, since that is about the method employed. In investigations, looking at MO helps link offenses that were carried out in a similar way, not merely those that happened at the same time or place.