What is a "person of interest"?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

To my knowledge it has no legal definition.

Is it anything but a game law enforcement plays so they don't have to call a suspect a suspect?

[Alcon]

To my knowledge it has no legal definition.

Is it anything but a game law enforcement plays so they don't have to call a suspect a suspect?

Pretty much.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

To my knowledge it has no legal definition.

Is it anything but a game law enforcement plays so they don't have to call a suspect a suspect?

Pretty much.

IIRC we owe this phony term to Ashcroft?

[Alcon]

To my knowledge it has no legal definition.

Is it anything but a game law enforcement plays so they don't have to call a suspect a suspect?

Pretty much.

IIRC we owe this phony term to Ashcroft?

I think it goes as far back as Richard Jewell.  I remember asking my parents what it meant when that was going on.

[MODU]

To my knowledge it has no legal definition.

Is it anything but a game law enforcement plays so they don't have to call a suspect a suspect?

Pretty much.

IIRC we owe this phony term to Ashcroft?

No, this goes waaaaaaaaay back.  "Suspect" has gained an unofficial semi-legal definition to it, so a new Politically Correct term had to be created.

[J. J.]

I think that it is more of a political correctness term:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_of_interest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspect

The connotation is that the police think this person, the suspect, did it, while the might be investigating the "person of interest" to see if he did it.

[Alcon]

I think that it is more of a political correctness term:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_of_interest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspect

The connotation is that the police think this person, the suspect, did it, while the might be investigating the "person of interest" to see if he did it.

Someone being investigated for the potential of having committed a crime, sounds a lot like a suspect to me. 

[phk]

What I understand is that

1) Person-of-interest = potential suspect
2) Suspect = suspect.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

What I understand is that

1) Person-of-interest = potential suspect
2) Suspect = suspect.

When law enforcement plays neat and cute with terms, there's some legal one-upsmanship going on, and they're on the one-up side.

[J. J.]

What I understand is that

1) Person-of-interest = potential suspect
2) Suspect = suspect.

When law enforcement plays neat and cute with terms, there's some legal one-upsmanship going on, and they're on the one-up side.

I kinda think that a "person of interest" is someone the police thinks might have been involved, but they are going look for evidence that might exclude him.  A "suspect" is someone that the police have looked at and can't exclude.

[minionofmidas]

What I understand is that

1) Person-of-interest = potential suspect
2) Suspect = suspect.

When law enforcement plays neat and cute with terms, there's some legal one-upsmanship going on, and they're on the one-up side.

I kinda think that a "person of interest" is someone the police thinks might have been involved, but they are going look for evidence that might exclude him.  A "suspect" is someone that the police have looked at and can't exclude.

No, it's simply someone they are not prepared to do their constitutional duty and look for evidence that might exclude him.