Murder!

My wife and I like to watch true crime shows on Netflix™ and Hulu™. These often entail reenactments of brutal murders and take the viewer through the process of crime discovery, investigation, the trial and conviction of the perpetrators.

As we were watching a particular show on Hulu last night, I reflected on what the likely Core Values Index™ psychometric personality profiles were of the various individuals working to solve the crime.

You need to have a certain mindset to handle criminal investigations, especially murders.

Obviously, you need to have a certain mindset to handle criminal investigations, especially murders. To be able to be the first on the scene of a brutal homicide and to focus on the evidence rather than focusing on finding the nearest puke bucket requires a dedication to finding the truth. To relentlessly gather, assemble and analyze forensic evidence requires a certain tenacity and attention to detail. To locate and interview suspects, looking for subtle hints and clues in their mannerisms and behavior to indicate deception or truthfulness demands an intuitive ability to read people. Finally, the wisdom and decision-making ability to discern which crimes have enough evidence to go to trial and then convince a jury of the accused person's guilt requires a blend of hardwired traits to bring the case to a successful conclusion.

Finally, and across the entire process, you've got the news reporter who doggedly investigates the investigation, checks facts, assembles the ongoing story, and then conveys it effectively and compellingly to the general audience.

The Roles in a Murder Investigation

Let's start from the beginning and work our way through the entire process. We will discuss the various people involved in a hypothetical murder investigation and discuss the likely Core Values Index personality profile best suited to each role.

911 Operator

Typically the first person involved in a murder investigation is the 911 operator who takes the call. These folks have a demanding job with enormous pressure, yet they stay calm, prioritize what needs to be learned, and act decisively to dispatch the appropriate personnel and services as needed.

Your ideal 911 operator would need a representation of each of the four CVI core values (personality types) to handle their job effectively. They must be able to act decisively and without hesitation (Builder) and they must be able to quickly and empathetically calm rattled nerves and hysterics in the caller (Merchant). The ability to rapidly solve the problem of what advice should be given to the caller or to determine which services should be summoned requires Innovator energy. Finally, they must maintain a wealth of knowledge and data about the myriad kind of emergencies and even which laws apply to the many kinds of calls they take (Banker).

Law Enforcement First Responder

The first individuals to appear at the scene of the crime are often members of law enforcement. Their ability to act decisively when required (Builder) is coupled with knowledge of the law (Banker), yet one of their most valuable traits is knowing how to keep agitated and stressed-out people calm and to accurately read the nuances of tone, body language and words (Merchant). Law enforcement personnel must also follow strict procedures to ensure all evidence at the scene of the crime is preserved (Banker).

Coroner/Medical Examiner

The next individual to arrive at the scene is often the coroner or medical examiner. They inspect the body and document as much of the physical evidence as possible. This requires a wealth of knowledge (Banker) and the ability to discern the difference between the typical and the unusual as they glean any insight possible as to the cause of death — and who may have caused it. This demands Innovator energy.

Once the body is back at the pathology lab, they conduct an autopsy and really get into a high level of detail. It is their job to prevent even the tiniest bit of evidence from escaping their inspection and analysis. This demands a great deal of their Banker energy to maintain their relentless pursuit of all the data and knowledge, not just what is on the surface. This data and knowledge represents many pieces of a gruesome puzzle, and fitting these together to determine the full and factual scope of what happened requires an Innovator's drive to solve challenging problems.

Lead Investigator

The lead investigator is in many ways the top problem solver of the whole case (Innovator). They must use their knowledge, experience and even their intuition to know where to spend their investigative time and energy. When interviewing witnesses, persons of interest and suspects, they need a Merchant's innate ability to separate lies from the truth and recognize likely deceitfulness. In the background, they need a Banker's drive to collect and analyze all the possible evidence and data to help build the picture of what happened and make the crucial arrest.

Prosecutor

The prosecutor's job is to take all the evidence gathered by the investigative team, analyze that and determine if a case can be built against the suspect. Is there enough evidence to get a likely conviction? The prosecutor has a tremendous amount of pressure to seek justice and ensure the person who actually committed the crime is the one tried and convicted. They must have great faith in their ability to act decisively and correctly no matter what transpires — a classic Builder trait.

To prepare for the trial, the prosecutor must solve the problem of how to present the evidence most effectively to the jury (Innovator). This demands the ability to convince 12 strangers, all of whom will have a variety of personality types, to come to a single conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt — that the suspect is, in fact, guilt of committing the crime. This demands the presence of a Merchant's super power of persuasion and motivation.

News Reporter

Throughout it all, the investigative reporter is following the story, gathering information from many sources through research as well as personal interviews. It's not unheard of for an investigative reporter to uncover evidence law enforcement may have missed.

The reporter assembles their story as it develops and presents it in a compelling way to the audience — ratings matter. Our intrepid reporter is also called upon to think outside the box to find ways to get the inside scoop — and act decisively and quickly when breaks occur in the story. Our reporter represents a blend of Merchant, Innovator, and even Builder energy to get their job done effectively. Oh, and their Banker isn't too far behind as they assemble the different parts of their story.

What is your psychometric personality profile?

As my wife and I watched a few more episodes of the crime show, the patterns of which personality types exist in each role as the cases unfolded before us became increasingly obvious. I could also sense within myself my own desire to figure out how the crime was committed and by whom, a classic Innovator trait (I am a 27-Innovator, 17-Banker, 15-Builder, and 13-Merchant).

When you watch a crime show or hear about a high profile murder on the news, give thought to the likely psychometric profiles of the people involved as well as how your own personality is engaged as the story unfolds.

Core Values Index™ and CVI™ are trademarks of Taylor Protocols, Inc.