Vi-CAP
Vi-CAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) is a nationwide computerized system implemented in 1985 by the FBI out of Quantico, Virginia. Pierce Brooks was appointed as the first director, primarily because as a homicide detective in Los Angeles he had been the first to propose the idea. It is designed to track and correllate information on violent crime, especially murder. The FBI provides the software for the database which is widely used by state and local law enforcement agencies to compile information on:
- solved and unsolved homicides, especially those involving an abduction or if they are apparently motiveless, sexual or random or suspected to be part of a series
- missing persons, where foul play is suspected
- unidentified persons, where foul play is suspected
- sexual assault cases
Cases fitting these categories can be entered into the system by law enforcement officals to be compared to other cases in an attempt to correlate and match possible connections. Vi-CAP has been an invaluable tool in solving many cases, including cases decades old and cases in widely separated states. Vi-CAP is particularly valuable in identifying and tracking serial killers, where separate victims might not otherwise be connected as part of the same pattern.