Criminal profiling is a specialized investigative support tool used by law enforcement to analyze a crime and the perpetrator’s actions. This discipline applies behavioral science principles and research to the facts of a case to construct a behavioral blueprint of an unknown offender. It is a systematic method that assists investigators by providing insights into an offender’s motivation, lifestyle, and potential characteristics, helping to focus an investigation and conserve resources. This analysis is a specialized function within the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving complex cases domestically and internationally.
The Official Role: Behavioral Analysis Unit
The FBI does not use the formal title of “profiler” but employs “Behavioral Analysts” or “Behavioral Scientists” who perform criminal investigative analysis. These experts work within the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), a component of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The NCAVC is located within the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia.
The primary mission of the BAU is to provide behavioral-based investigative support for complex crimes, especially those involving violence. This support is consultative; analysts work with federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies who request assistance. Analysts review case materials and offer behaviorally-informed recommendations, but the investigation remains under the jurisdiction of the requesting agency. The BAU assists with new and cold cases, helping agencies identify patterns, develop investigative strategies, and prioritize resources.
Primary Functions of FBI Behavioral Analysts
Case Consultation and Analysis
A primary function of behavioral analysts is detailed case consultation, involving a thorough review of all available evidence packages. Analysts examine police reports, crime scene photographs, witness statements, and forensic reports to find behavioral details left by the offender. This process results in a comprehensive behavioral blueprint of the crime and the unknown offender, including psychological factors and demographic variables. The analysis provides behaviorally-based recommendations for investigative strategy, helping focus resources on the most likely leads.
Threat Assessment and Management
Behavioral analysts play a proactive role in threat assessment, often through the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC). This involves evaluating patterns of thinking and behavior to determine if an individual is progressing toward an attack. BTAC is a national task force focused on preventing targeted violence, including threats against high-profile individuals, public officials, or large events. Analysts apply behavioral principles and methods to provide threat management support to partners, including federal, state, and campus law enforcement.
Training and Education for Law Enforcement
The BAU continuously disseminates specialized knowledge through training and education for the law enforcement community. The unit shares research findings and behavioral assessments through formalized training programs at the FBI Academy and other venues. This instruction focuses on applying behavioral science and criminology to law enforcement operations, including interview strategy and managing death investigations. By sharing these insights, analysts help other agencies recognize concerning behaviors and apply analysis techniques to their investigative work.
The Methodology of Criminal Investigative Analysis
The FBI refers to criminal profiling as Criminal Investigative Analysis (CIA), a systematic process designed to identify an unknown offender’s characteristics. This methodology is evidence-based, relying on inductive and deductive reasoning rather than intuition. The process starts with a comprehensive evaluation of the criminal act, including analysis of the crime scene for signature behaviors and modus operandi.
A core component of CIA is detailed victimology, which involves an analysis of the victim’s life, choices, and interactions to understand why they were chosen. Knowing these factors helps analysts determine the motivation behind the crime and identify people at risk for similar offenses. Analysts also examine the psychopathology left at the scene, which refers to the offender’s behavioral and psychological indicators exhibited during the crime.
This systematic review allows the analyst to create a profile that predicts the offender’s personality traits, behavioral patterns, and demographic variables. The CIA process is also used for pattern recognition, linking previously unrelated cases by identifying shared characteristics of the crimes and assessing victimology. Ultimately, this process does not definitively identify a perpetrator but provides an investigative tool to narrow a suspect pool and inform interview strategies.
Specialized Areas of Analysis
The BAU is structured into specialized units to manage the complexity of the cases they handle. This specialization ensures analysts develop expertise in specific types of violent crimes. The modern BAU is typically divided into five units, three of which focus on specific categories of offenses.
Crimes Against Children
One specialized unit is dedicated entirely to crimes against children. This work includes investigative support and analysis for cases involving child abduction, sexual exploitation, and child homicide. Analysts in this unit use their specialized knowledge to develop investigative strategies tailored to these sensitive cases.
Counterterrorism and Threat Assessment
Another unit focuses on national security threats, specifically counterterrorism and targeted violence. Their casework involves the analysis of mass attacks, bombing incidents, arson, and domestic terrorism. This unit also works closely with the Behavioral Threat Assessment Center to provide proactive support in managing and mitigating threats of violence.
Crimes Against Adults
A third specialized unit handles a wide range of violent crimes committed against adults. This includes the analysis of serial homicide, sexual assault, extortion, and other violent acts. Analysts in this unit apply criminal investigative analysis to complex, repetitive, or unusual cases.
How to Become an FBI Behavioral Analyst
The path to becoming an FBI Behavioral Analyst is highly structured, requiring significant experience and a specific career trajectory within the Bureau. An individual must first become a sworn FBI Special Agent, which requires a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two years of professional work experience (or one year with an advanced degree). Many successful candidates possess advanced degrees, often a master’s or doctorate, in forensic psychology, criminology, or related behavioral sciences.
After graduating from the FBI Academy, agents are typically assigned to a field office to gain several years of practical investigative experience. Behavioral Analysts are not hired directly into the BAU from outside the FBI; they are experienced Agents who apply for an internal transfer. The transfer process to the BAU is exceptionally competitive, requiring agents to have accumulated several years—often seven to fifteen—of successful investigative work in the field.
The work demands a blend of practical law enforcement experience and academic knowledge, requiring skills like critical thinking, effective communication, and the ability to analyze complex behavioral data. Successful candidates must translate complex psychological concepts into actionable investigative guidance. Those selected for the BAU then undergo specialized internal training in criminal investigative analysis.
Separating Fact from Fiction
Popular media often portrays FBI profilers as possessing psychic abilities or working on active crime scenes with dramatic, intuitive breakthroughs. The reality of the job is grounded in research, consultation, and evidence-driven analysis. Behavioral analysts rarely work active crime scenes, as their role is consultative, involving the review of evidence packages sent to Quantico by the requesting agency.
Their profiles are not definitive solutions but investigative tools that provide guidance to narrow a pool of suspects. The work is research-heavy, drawing on extensive databases like the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) and years of empirical study. Analysts apply a systematic, scientific methodology to the facts of a case, emphasizing that the process is based on behavioral science principles.