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Profile of a Profiler

Michael Reese has been an FBI agent for over 30 years and a profiler for 10. He has become well known recently for his successful use of psychology in solving a number of murder investigations and has compiled his experiences in the best-seller Profiler of a Killer. I had a chance to catch up with Michael at his Virginia office last week.

What is a profiler?
Profiling as we know it today is a relatively new part of law enforcement—about 30 years old at the most. In the last decade or so it has been more in the limelight, due to the popularity of The Silence of the Lambs (the movie's Agent Crawford is based on famous profiler John Douglas) and TV shows like "Profiler" and "Millennium."

A profiler basically uses all the information he or she can gather to try to draw up a "profile" of a serial killer—someone who kills at least three victims, usually with a "cooling off" period in between. The profiler tries to pin down information about a killer, such as gender, age, race, personality, does he drive a nice car, is he charming with the ladies, in order to draw a physical and psychological portrait of the killer. He or she is usually brought in on the most random cases—when the investigation is stuck—to try to approach it from a different point of view. The FBI has spent years gathering information by interviewing serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, and that information is invaluable to people like me because it helps set up patterns of behavior.

What can a profiler do that a regular detective or agent can't?
It's not really a question of "can" or "can't." It's more a question of how you think and what you have the time to concentrate on. My job is very specific: to think creatively and psychologically about the crime. Other agents are busy doing their jobs—collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, etc. The profilers work closely with investigators and pathologists to try to put the pieces together. It's pretty mundane, actually, but you need to be the right kind of person.

And what is "the right kind of person"?
You'd be surprised. I mean there are the basic requirements: you have to have been a Special Agent for, I think, three years, with a specialization in violent crimes and homicides; you should have excellent investigative skills and a degree, but the most important thing is to be imaginative and creative. Not delusional, of course! Your ideas have to be based on facts, but profilers have to do a lot of conceptual blockbusting; they have to look at facts from a different angle. I've found that people who make good profilers are usually good communicators, self-confident yet restrained, and funny. Funny is very important. You can't work with killers and dead people all day long without a sense of humor. If you take yourself too seriously you'll be in trouble.

How do you approach a case?
Well, despite what television series like "Profiler" would have you believe, with its flashbacks and visions, profiling has nothing to do with being psychic. Profilers analyze a set of clues: the evidence from the crime scene, repeated behaviors consistent over a number of crimes, and the killer's modus operandi—when, how, and who he killed—in order to come up with a profile. Also, efforts to cover up the crime can serve profilers as well. It's not so glamorous. Many serial killers are quite intelligent and are very savvy about covering their tracks, so we spend a lot of time poring over forensic evidence.

Often cops call us in to check out suspects, to establish probable cause in order to obtain a search warrant. For instance, there was a case I wrote about in my book where the subject would abduct women from supermarkets and kill them. The police had a suspect, but they couldn't actually prove anything, so they brought me in to do an evaluation. After examining the evidence I told them, "the suspect basically fits the pattern of the crime—he has a violent past and a history of arson." So they got a warrant and found remains of thirteen women on his property.

Do you think serial killers are born that way?
I don't think so. Most of the killers I've interviewed have come from severely dysfunctional families, and had they had a different upbringing, they probably would not have become killers. That's not to say that all kids in dysfunctional families grow up to be psychopaths nor that killers only come from dysfunctional families—some attribute psychotic behavior to hormones or brain damage. But when children exhibit sociopathic behavior from a young age, this behavior has to be addressed, early, otherwise the child will probably grow up to be a criminal. The most telling early warning signs are arson, bedwetting, and cruelty to animals. If you see your kid torching things or torturing animals, you should deal with that behavior immediately. Unfortunately, in the most dysfunctional families, such warning signs are ignored.

Has your job become any easier over the years?
Some of my colleagues are surprised when I show up for a job laughing or making jokes, but there's really no other way. It never gets easier. Yeah, you learn more about human nature and patterns of behavior as you go along, but dealing with killers and especially their victims is always hard...that's why my two mottos are "it's only a job" and "laugh a little." I can't get obsessed with my job, which is very worthy of obsession—I have to do my day's work and then turn off, continue with my life. Otherwise it would be impossible.

Using More Exact or Colorful Synonyms

Find the more exact or colorful synonym in the reading to replace the following words in parentheses. The phrases are listed in order of their appearance.


1		In the last (ten years) or so...


2		it has been more in the (public eye) …


3		The profiler tries to (locate) information about a killer, such as gender, age, race, personality...


4		It's pretty (boring) , actually, but you need to be the right kind of person.


5		they have to look at facts from a different (point of view) .


6		Many serial killers are quite intelligent and are very (smart) about covering their tracks...


7		we spend a lot of time (examining and studying) forensic evidence.


8		But when children (show) sociopathic behavior from a young age, this behavior has to be addressed, early...


9		If you see your kid (setting fire to) things or torturing animals, you should deal with that behavior immediately.

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