Individual

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Individual:
This word, along with "vehicle" is often used by police when speaking
to the press. It tends to emphasize the distance between the human
policeman and the human suspect by de-personalizing the latter, and the
former. Example:

“An individual was seen entering the establishment wearing a disguise
and carrying a weapon. He was seen to perpetrate a felony in said
establishment after which he entered his vehicle and drove away. The
officer nearest responded to the alarm and pursued said individual in
said vehicle and apprehended same.”

Better:

Several people saw Mr. Jones go into the bank wearing a stocking over
his head and carrying a gun in his right hand. The tellers and
customers saw him take money at gunpoint and observed him get into his
blue Thunderbird and drive off. Officer McGinty, who was cruising in
the closest patrol car picked up the alarm and followed Mr. Jones’ car,
pulling him over and arresting him. He has been read his rights and
will be charged tomorrow with armed robbery.

The police administration probably instruct officers to be vague in
order to keep citizen awareness of details low so that potential jurors
will not have a picture in their minds about the incident. But surely
communication can be made more natural without doing any harm.
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