Module 5 - Criminal Profiling

In the investigation of a serious crime, the first step is the study of clues, the second is the study of the crime itself, and the third is criminal profiling, which is the study of the abnormal psyche of the criminal. A criminal profile identifies some of the major personality and behavioural characteristics of an unknown offender based on an analysis of the crime(s) committed. Criminal profiling is an investigative technique that produces a list of potential characteristics of a suspect. This helps investigators to shorten their lists of suspects.

Historically, criminal profiling was simply professional advice about criminal behaviour given to police investigators by individual psychologists or psychiatrists. Their interpretations about criminal behaviour were the result of their knowledge of the human personality and various psychological disorders.

The Vidocq Society is an exclusive crime-solving club that meets every month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Members are forensic professionals, especially current and former FBI criminal profilers, homicide investigators, various forensic scientists, psychologists, and coroners. At meetings, Vidocq Society members listen to law enforcement officials from around the world present cold cases for review and then offer them expert advice free of charge. The Vidocq Society will not become involved in just any criminal case; it must meet their strict criteria. The society was named after Eugène François Vidocq, a legendary nineteenth century French detective and former criminal who used his knowledge of the criminal mind to look at cold case homicides from the psychological perspective of the perpetrator.

History of Criminal Profiling

The first early use of criminal profiling occurred in the 1880s when Dr. Thomas Bond was involved in the investigation of a series of grisly murders by a killer known as Jack the Ripper. Dr. Bond performed an autopsy of one of the victims and reconstructed the crime scene to interpret the behaviours and possible personality of the killer. In his profile of Jack the Ripper, Bond proposed that all of the murders had been committed by one person who was physically strong, composed, and daring. Dr. Bond suggested that the unknown offender was quiet and harmless in appearance, middle-aged, and neatly attired, probably wearing a cloak to hide the blood from his attacks. He was likely a loner, eccentric, and mentally unstable. Contrary to popular opinion, Bond also believed that the offender had no anatomical knowledge and was not a surgeon or butcher. Despite Dr. Bond’s profile, the Jack the Ripper case remains a mystery to this day. Many consider Dr. Bond to be a true pioneer in the field of criminal profiling and that his work helped opened the way for future criminal profilers.

The next known use of criminal profiling occurred during World War II when Dr. Walter Langer was asked to create a profile of Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler. The Allies asked Dr. Langer to explain Hitler’s mindset, suggest his motives, and predict his actions if he was apprehended. Dr. Langer’s detailed 135-page profile outlined Hitler’s behavioural traits and correctly predicted that Hitler would commit suicide if Germany lost the war. Odd traits that Dr. Langer discovered and discussed in his profile included why Hitler often walked diagonally across a room while whistling a marching tune. He also stated that Hitler feared syphilis, germs, and moonlight and that he loved the sight of severed heads and risky circus acts.

The individual who perhaps single-handedly managed to demonstrate the value of criminal profiling to modern law enforcement was Dr. James Brussel. In 1956, Dr. Brussel’s profile of the Mad Bomber of New York City led to the arrest of the culprit. Dr. Brussels’ report was so accurate that it detailed correctly the clothing the bomber would be wearing when arrested (a double-breasted business suit).

Dr. Brussel was later invited to work on the Boston Strangler case in 1964. He convinced investigators that only one strangler existed, not two as was previously thought. Again, Brussel’s profile was accurate, leading to the arrest of Albert De Salvo.

In the early 1970s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) created a Behavioural Science Unit, the first of its kind in the world. Two FBI agents within this new unit, Patrick J. Mullany and Howard D. Teten, designed a method that identified at crime scene indications of certain personality traits or mental disorders of the suspect. The systematic profiling technique became known as the Criminal Investigative Analysis Program.

Also during the early 1970s, Dr. Robert D. Keppel and Dr. Richard Walter published a groundbreaking article that grouped sexual murderers into four distinct sub-types: power-assertion, power-reassurance, anger-retaliatory, and anger-excitation. They also created HITS, a database that lists characteristics of violent crimes so that common threads could be investigated. Keppel was a police detective who earned his Ph.D. in criminology, and Walter was a prison psychologist who had interviewed more than 2000 murderers, sex-offenders, and serial killers. Both Keppel and Walter began seeing common threads among offenders, which lead to the publication of their article.

In June of 1973, the FBI caught the first murder suspect with the help of criminal profiling. A seven-year-old girl was abducted from a campsite in Montana. She was taken from her tent in the middle of the night before she could alert her parents who were sleeping nearby. Howard Teten, Patrick Mullany, and Robert Ressler created a profile that suggested the abductor was a young white male who was homicidal and would mutilate his victims after killing them. They also predicted that he would take body parts from his victims as souvenirs. The profile led to the arrest of David Meirhofer, a 23-year-old single male who was a suspect in another murder case. The search of Meirhofer’s house unearthed souvenir body parts from his victims.

During the late 1970’s, FBI agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler created a method of classifying criminals who had committed serious crimes. They created an organized or disorganized methodology after studying and interviewing convicted sex murderers. Their method provided more information about the behavioural patterns and personality characteristics of criminals. It is used extensively by law enforcement agencies today.

Since the 1980s, criminal profiling has become a widely used and officially sanctioned investigative technique in the investigation of serious crimes. Some major police departments either have a criminal profiling unit or regularly consult criminal profiling experts.

"There's no such thing as a born investigator." - Anonymous

The FBI Criminal Profiling Method

Criminal profiling was first used officially in criminal investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States. The most common method was developed by the FBI and involves comparing the behaviour of the unknown offender to the behaviour of those offenders the profiler has encountered and to the broad offender groups developed through the study of similar crimes and criminals.

Today's profilers are officially known as criminal investigative analysts. The use of this investigative tool remains relatively limited since its inception over thirty years ago. Only a small number of qualified personnel are highly trained in the science and methodology of criminal profiling. This limits its use to only the most serious criminal investigations, typically those involving serial cases of murder, multiple murders, or sexual assault although it has been used in cases of arson, bombing, espionage, stalking, extortion, kidnapping, terrorism, and product tampering.

Most criminal investigative analysts in North America are veteran FBI special agents who have strong investigative skills. Currently, about 30 criminal investigative analysts work for the FBI profilers and each year receive more than 1000 profiling requests from law enforcement agencies.

Most criminal investigative analysts in North America are veteran FBI special agents who have strong investigative skills. Currently, about 30 criminal investigative analysts work for the FBI profilers and each year receive more than 1000 profiling requests from law enforcement agencies.