Biography

Seeking insights into criminal psychology, he has interviewed John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Speck, David Berkowitz, and Ed Kemper.

Coined the term "serial killer".

Established the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, and Forensic Behavioral Services International.

One of the world's foremost experts on violent criminals, particularly those guilty of serial and sexual homicides.

[on having television characters based on him:] What you don't see in the media is the lengthy examination of the crime scene, photographs and videotapes, careful examinations of the autopsy and the photos. Oftentimes this takes a considerable amount of time, and there's coordination with the investigating officers to reach a logical conclusion to come up with a profile. The movie portrayal usually shortcuts the lengthy process by mindflashes of the profiler at the scene of the crime which would indicate that some sort of psychic experience is going on. And of course this is nonsense. [July 20, 1997]

Profiles don't catch killers, cops on the beat do, often through dogged persistence and with the help of ordinary citizens, and certainly with a little bit of luck.