This is a first of a two-part series on violence in America. Part two will run next Tuesday.
After having "paid my dues academically," SF State Criminology Professor Mike Rustigan has taken to fieldwork to explore the evolution of violence in America, concluding that prevention is the best medicine for America's violent crime woes.
"You think of prevention in terms of disease control," Rustigan said. "Why can't we learn from medicine that if you have a problem with a disease like malaria you don't just swat the mosquitoes you clean up the swamp?"
"Right now in California we're spending more money on prison construction than higher education," Rustigan, a strong opponent of the 'three strikes and your out' law, said.
"The money is being drained right from this campus. The tuition is going up, all these resources we're unable to fund is because of prison construction. That's a shame, because the state of California was known the world over for it's mission -- higher education," Rustigan said.
"The community college system, the state college system, the University of California system have really taken a beating, and these politicians are responsible for that because every time we have a Polly Klaas case that is a campaign opportunity for politicians. They focus on that case and say "we need more prisons, build more prisons," said Rustigan, who is best known for his Unabomber analyses in the media.
"The public needs to be informed that punishment alone isn't the solution. We need prevention; we need energy up front, and part of my mission is to inform the public-- talk shows, civic groups, public speaking-- the importance of early intervention and prevention," he said.
Rustigan has conducted 135 programs on violent crimes and trends for the Administration of Justice Bureau at San Jose State University. He has also conducted numerous classes for a variety of law enforcement agencies, including the San Francisco Police Department.
"What he does is present a profile that we can use to help our investigations. We might be investigating someone and then realize that person fits the profile (that Rustigan has outlined)," Sergeant-Inspector Tom Walsh of SFPD's Domestic Violence Response Unit said. Walsh was a sociology student of Rustigan when Rustigan taught at San Jose State.
"Probation officers have to prepare briefs to present to the courts. The information Mike provides helps us in judging what kind of sentencing should be recommended. It helps us understand more about people and violent crimes," Jinx McCombs, staff development manager for the Contra Costa Probation Department, said."We've had Mike in to give talks on stalkers, serial killers and violence in general."
"His programs revolve around the causes and factors that are contributing to violence in our society. Discussing what the police can do in cooperation with the community in developing remedies for violent crimes. Administration, criminal, psychological, sociological ways that law enforcement can address the problems," said Tom Anderson, of the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training. Anderson has called on Rustigan to give speeches off and on for 20 years.
"Mike has an excellent mind, a great analysis of data and has ongoing communication with practitioners of the system. He's one of the best criminologists in the country," Anderson said.
"I got tired of swapping notes with criminologists, quibbling about methodology, I wanted to add a criminological perspective to my work. I wanted to tell the public what makes these guys tick -- what's behind these crime trends," Rustigan, whose expertise is in homicide, said.
"One thing we've noted concerning homicides is a significant increase in stranger perpetuated murders," Rustigan said. Although Rustigan acknowledges that most murders are committed by acquaintances, relatives or spouses, he estimates that 35 percent of all murders are committed by strangers.
"When we go back historically to the 60's Charles Whitman -- that mass murderer -- was the precursor of what was to come, not only of mass murderers but of serial killers," Rustigan said of the sniper who in August 1966 killed 16 people with a rifle from atop the University of Texas-Austin tower.
"We had these spectacular cases in the 60's(Boston Strangler, Richard Speck, Zodiac) but, as we moved into the 70's these cases increased significantly with these characters on the loose, creeping around the communities, taking lives and developing celebrity careers," Rustigan said. "We've got about 5 percent of the world's population and about 75 percent of the world's serial killers. These guys carve out a certain specialty-- Zodiac in his way of murdering, Ted Bundy, the Green River killer, the Hillside Strangler, now the Unabomber -- very uniquely them, their personal campaigns."
Rustigan distinguishes mass murderers from serial killers and categorizes serial killers according to the intents of the killers.
"Mass murderers kill in one burst, serial killers kill over a period of time," Rustigan said. Mass murderers are also suicidal, either "saving the last bullet for himself" or waiting to be killed by the police or someone else.
Serial killers are broken down into five categories:
"They just enjoy inflicting terror on the community, just get into killing and acting out rage against society," Rustigan said.
"There was an older woman in Sacramento who killed her tenants and buried them in her garden for their Social Security checks, and sold their property," Rustigan said.
"She used arsenic to murder her husbands, boyfriends and relatives. This is the only type of serial killer that tends to be in the family," Rustigan said.
"They are able to get sexual gratification from the murders. With Dahlmer it was homosexual; Bundy heterosexual. This is the most common, stereotypical serial killer," Rustigan said.
"They murder with a moral masquerade. They legitimize their murders. Killing those who they deem undesirable to benefit society," Rustigan said. The Unabomber targets technology experts and the Green River killer targets prostitutes.
While these notorious serial killers have garnered the headlines new violent criminals are emerging in our society-- the street gangs.
(In part 2 the causes and solutions for combating this threat to society will be examined.)
[ Golden Gater Online October 10, 1995 ]
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