The research focused on approximately 300 sex offenses perpetrated by an initial sample of 79 stranger rapists. The analysis focused on the victim's location when approached, whether the victim was robbed as well as sexually assaulted, the degree of planning in the attack and the use of either public or private transportation. Results revealed that a proportion of sex offenders spent considerable amounts of time prowling, either in localized neighborhoods or more extensively. This finding highlighted the need for records on men coming regularly to attention in particular locations. The existence of offenders who are itinerant or who offend at long distances from home conformed the necessity for the newly established National DNA database. Finally, although rapists tend to operate near home, some men may be familiar with dispersed neighborhoods. Therefore, police records of offender characteristics should include details of former addresses and other significant locations, especially where previous crimes have occurred. Figure, tables, and 26 references