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Modus operandi
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<h2 id="term">Term</h2> <p>The term is often used in police work when discussing <a href="/facts/Criminology/vu3fwnut">crime</a> and addressing the methods employed by <a href="/facts/Criminals/BfoRzbL3">criminals</a>. It is also used in <a href="/facts/Offender_profiling/z8yqgCeT">criminal profiling</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> where it can help in finding clues to the offender's <a href="/facts/Psychology/duoqW7Sz">psychology</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> It largely consists of examining the actions used by the individuals to execute the crime, prevent its detection and facilitate escape.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> A suspect's <i>modus operandi</i> can assist in their identification, apprehension, or repression, and can also be used to determine links between crimes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>In business, <i>modus operandi</i> is used to describe a firm's preferred means of executing business and interacting with other firms. </p> <h2 id="plural">Plural</h2> <p>The plural is <i>modi operandi</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> The word <i>operandi</i> is a <a href="/facts/Latin_conjugation/n9dqHBEL">gerund</a> in the <a href="/facts/Genitive_case/nMXh3StK">genitive case</a>, "of operating"; gerunds can never be pluralised in Latin, as opposed to <a href="/facts/Latin_conjugation/n9dqHBEL">gerundives</a>. When a noun with an attribute in the genitive is pluralised, only the head noun normally changes, just as in English with "of": "a fact of life, two facts of life" (unlike, for instance, <i>les modes opératoires</i> in <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a>). </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Criminology/vu3fwnut">Criminology</a> – Study of crime and criminal actions/behavior</li> <li><a href="/facts/John_E._Douglas/NUek0jE4">John E. Douglas</a> – American criminal profiler (born 1945)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Latin_phrases/AEtMoFf9">Latin phrases</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Modus_ponens/Wq4NcmrG"><i>Modus ponens</i></a> – Rule of logical inference</li> <li><a href="/facts/Modus_tollens/sqf3PTlf"><i>Modus tollens</i></a> – Rule of logical inference</li> <li><a href="/facts/Modus_vivendi/w2RAXAfQ"><i>Modus vivendi</i></a> – Arrangement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace</li> <li><a href="/facts/Signature_crime/msgQMxL5">Signature crime</a> – crime which exhibits characteristics unique to an offender's psychologyPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback</li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Levinson, D. <i>Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment</i> (SAGE, 2002). <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-7619-2258-X.</li> <li>Carlo, P. <i>The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez</i> (Pinnacle Books 1996). <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-7860-1362-1.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li> The dictionary definition of modus operandi at Wiktionary</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Douglas, J. E. and A. W. Burgess, A. G. Burgess, R. K. Ressler. Crime classification manual (John Wiley & Sons, 2006) ISBN 0-7879-8501-5, p. 19-21. <a href="/wiki/John_Wiley_%26_Sons" target="_blank">/wiki/John_Wiley_%26_Sons</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Vronsky, R. Serial Killers (Berkley Books, 2004) ISBN 0-425-19640-2, p. 412. <a href="/wiki/Berkley_Books" target="_blank">/wiki/Berkley_Books</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Hazelwood, R. R, A. W. Burgess, Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation, (CRC Press, 2001) ISBN 0-8493-0076-2, p. 517. <a href="/wiki/CRC_Press" target="_blank">/wiki/CRC_Press</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Douglas, J. E. and A. W. Burgess, A. G. Burgess, R. K. Ressler. Crime classification manual (John Wiley & Sons, 2006) ISBN 0-7879-8501-5, p. 19-21. <a href="/wiki/John_Wiley_%26_Sons" target="_blank">/wiki/John_Wiley_%26_Sons</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Berg, B.L. Criminal Investigation (McGraw Hill, 2008) ISBN 978-0-07-340124-9 <a href="/wiki/McGraw_Hill" target="_blank">/wiki/McGraw_Hill</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"modus operandi". merriam-webster.com. Merriam–Webster. Retrieved 5 December 2023. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modus%20operandi" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modus%20operandi</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Barber, Katherine, ed. (2004). "modus operandi". The Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195418163. Retrieved 6 April 2020. <a href="9780195418163" target="_blank">9780195418163</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>