| You are well known for your exceptional career in | | | | criminal profiling made vast advancements. Can you |
| criminal profiling. Please tell our readers about your | | | | describe your position as an FBI profiler and your role |
| background and how you became a famous FBI | | | | in implementing the expansion of this field? |
| profiler. | | | | In 1977, when I was transferred to the FBI Academy |
| As a child I watched a popular television show called | | | | as a criminal psychology instructor, the criminal profiler |
| The FBI starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr. who played the | | | | position did not exist. After first conducting the |
| part of Inspector Erskine. This show was on television | | | | research and then passing on what I learned in |
| for 9 years (1965–74) and had 240 episodes based | | | | classes, we began to receive cases for analysis. |
| on the work of the Inspector Erskine, who was all | | | | Starting in 1981 I began creating a criminal profiling |
| business. He didn’t laugh, didn’t love, and | | | | program within the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. |
| didn’t play. He worked every type of case and | | | | During the first year we received approximately 54 |
| flew in a private jet to wherever the action was. In | | | | cases and every subsequent year the caseload |
| truth, this position was non-existent. A FBI agent was, | | | | expanded. By the time I retired from the FBI in 1995, |
| and still is, assigned to 1 of 59 field offices and | | | | we were analyzing over 1,000 cases a year. When I |
| generally remains in that office unless transferred. Little | | | | retired I had 43 employees in my unit. Only 12 of those |
| did I know in 1970 when I joined the FBI, that one day I | | | | employees profiled, so it was very stressful for all of |
| would actually create a position within the FBI based | | | | us. We had to deal with life and death situations with |
| on Inspector Erskine that would have me traveling | | | | very short deadlines. |
| throughout the United States and abroad providing | | | | Even today, there are many people who think the FBI |
| on-site consultations in the form of crime analysis and | | | | only profiles serial murder cases. In reality, the majority |
| criminal profiling. | | | | of cases are single homicides, and every type of |
| As a young FBI agent I enjoyed investigations that | | | | violent crime has been researched and analyzed by |
| included interpersonal violence, cases where the | | | | profilers. |
| subjects were attempting to avoid prosecution or | | | | Profiling is not the only investigative tool available. For |
| confinement, and cases where the subjects were | | | | example, there are some cases where profiling an |
| fugitives from justice. While the investigations and | | | | unknown offender would not be suitable because of |
| arrests were fun, I was really interested in learning | | | | the high risk-level of the victim. What could possibly still |
| something about who they were and why they | | | | be provided are proactive techniques, research-based |
| perpetrated their crimes, particularly violent crimes, | | | | probable cause for search warrants, interview and |
| against innocent people. | | | | interrogation techniques, prosecution and defense |
| Along the way I obtained graduate degrees in | | | | counseling, and possibly expert testimony. |
| educational psychology, guidance and counseling, and | | | | Criminal profiling is a rough line of work. Please |
| adult education. I enrolled in many abnormal and clinical | | | | describe some of the more difficult aspects of the job. |
| psychology courses, but while I found the classes | | | | The very nature of profiling violent crimes makes for a |
| interesting, they never really addressed the question of | | | | highly stressful job. One must be able to identify with |
| motive. Perhaps because the professors teaching | | | | both the subject and victim in order to answer the |
| those courses had little, if any, experience with the | | | | investigative formula of why + how = who. |
| criminal element. | | | | It has been my experience that if a profiler uses the |
| In 1977 when I was promoted and transferred to the | | | | defense mechanism of “isolation of affect” they |
| Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy, I hoped I | | | | will not be successful. When I train profilers I tell them |
| would learn more about the motives behind criminal | | | | they must walk in the shoes of both the subject and |
| behavior. The students (law enforcement officers | | | | victim. You have to experience the feelings and |
| enrolled in the criminal psychology classes taught at the | | | | emotions of both. |
| FBI Academy) and I found the classes entertaining and | | | | There is danger in this technique. In 1983 I nearly died in |
| sometimes humorous, and the instructors received the | | | | Seattle, Washington, while working on the Green River |
| highest praises each semester from their students. | | | | murder case. I was found in my hotel room in a coma |
| Yet, I still felt there was something missing. None of | | | | caused by a body temperature btween 104 and 107 |
| these instructors had actually gone into prisons and | | | | degrees. After 5 days in a coma I woke up and found |
| personally asked violent offenders about the specifics | | | | myself paralyzed on my left side. I had viral encephalitis |
| of their crimes. I wanted to know about pre-offense | | | | and doctors attributed my weakened immune system |
| behavior, victim selection, the offender’s personal | | | | to the amount of stress I was under. I was later |
| background, their motivation, their post offense | | | | treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. |
| behavior, and how they were identified and apply that | | | | Please describe the most fascinating case of which |
| information to present-day cases. | | | | you have been a part. |
| By the early 1980s, another colleague and I received a | | | | There have been many interesting and personally |
| federal grant to conduct research on serial murderers. | | | | rewarding cases in my career. Most recently I was |
| It seemed obvious to me that to learn from the | | | | able to interview Dennis Rader, the “BTK |
| “experts,” it is necessary to speak with them. | | | | Strangler” whose murders resurfaced after 30 |
| My personal mantra in all of my books has always | | | | years. I did the original profile in 1979 and later updated |
| been the following: | | | | it with my colleagues. I briefly wrote and profiled the |
| “To understand the artist, look at the art work.” | | | | BTK Strangler in my book Obsession. When I |
| “Behavior reflects personality.” | | | | interviewed Rader he told me he read Obsession and |
| “The crime is a reflection of the offender.” | | | | personally critiqued my analysis. He said my analysis |
| The above seemed so obvious that I was surprised | | | | was very good, but his identification, arrest, and |
| and somewhat amused when some people and | | | | conviction were not attributed to it. In August 2007, |
| organizations began praising this enlightenment into the | | | | Jossey-Bass will be publishing my book on the BTK |
| criminal mind. However, not everyone praised my | | | | and during the 2007 ACFEI National Conference I will |
| ideas. Individuals in mental health, probation and parole, | | | | be presenting this case along with many others. |
| and corrections did not like what I was advocating. In | | | | What else can be learned from your seminars with |
| sum, all I said was that anyone in such positions of | | | | ACFEI? |
| responsibility must not base their findings and | | | | Profiling, in the right hands and with good training, can |
| conclusions on an offender’s self-reporting. The | | | | be a viable investigative tool. Those attending the |
| interview is only one piece of the puzzle. The criminal | | | | seminar will have a better appreciation and |
| case, which includes analyzing the complete crime | | | | understanding of the overall profiling process. Criminal |
| scene and autopsy photos (in the case of a homicide); | | | | profiling is not accurately portrayed in the movies and |
| the autopsy protocol; and law enforcement preliminary | | | | on television. Attendees will learn the process of |
| reports must all be reviewed, and how the offenders | | | | criminal profiling, and I will demonstrate that criminal |
| were apprehended must be determined. Relying on | | | | investigative analysis is very similar to a physician’s |
| self-reporting alone is a disservice to the criminal justice | | | | act of diagnosing a patient with an unknown illness or |
| system and threatens those who want to live and | | | | disease. Both the medical doctor and criminal profiler |
| work in a safe community. | | | | can be wrong at times. We are only as good as the |
| A few years ago on a book tour in New Zealand, I | | | | information provided to us for analysis. Unfortunately, |
| spoke before a group of psychologists and | | | | not every case investigated is a perfect one, but it is |
| psychiatrists at their institution for the criminally insane. | | | | important to recognize the imperfections and consider |
| Before I began my lecture I could tell by their body | | | | them in the overall analysis. |
| language that they had a problem with me. Apparently, | | | | ACFEI is made up of members from a wide array of |
| they had read some of my books where I criticized | | | | forensic backgrounds. How does your presentation |
| making evaluations of an inmate without ever looking | | | | relate to all attendees’ professions? |
| at the facts of the case. Their response to me was | | | | In the past I’ve spoken to college students, |
| that by looking at the crime scene photos or reading | | | | physicians, lawyers, school teachers, nurses, stock |
| preliminary police reports they would unfairly pre-judge | | | | brokers, sales personnel, and many other persons |
| the patient/inmate. I responded by saying that if you | | | | from a variety of occupations. At the very least the |
| don’t take time to look at those types of case | | | | audience will be entertained in a forensic area with |
| information then they, as mental health professionals, | | | | which most are not intimately familiar. Others will find |
| would have no idea to whom they were talking. I told | | | | that the seminar will have direct application to their |
| them they cannot and should not rely on self-reporting | | | | forensic specialty. I hope that everyone attending the |
| alone because the bad guys lie. They may not have | | | | seminar will take the information provided, digest it, and |
| liked what I said, but that is the truth based on my own | | | | then apply it, not only to their work, but also to their |
| experiences. | | | | lives. |
| During the span of your career, the progression of | | | | |