Criminal Investigation 4/3/2013
THE MIND HUNTER BOOK REPORT
In the book Mind Hunter, author, John Douglas introduces how the FBI provides learning, education and techniques throughout Local, State and Federal police. John Douglas was a former FBI agent from the FBI at Quantico, VA. Douglas tells about how he and a team of FBI officers formed the Investigative Support Unit. Douglas explains the steps and techniques used in profiling an offender, by putting himself inside the mind of a killer and victim. Douglas has interviews with famous serial killers in prison. Douglas learned a lot about what was going on inside the killer’s mind, with clues he left at a crime scene. In the book Douglas describes serial killer’s main goals are hunting and killing. They want the feeling of being and wanting to have complete control over their victims. Douglas dissects each crime scene, reliving it in his mind, creating profiles and predicts their next moves. Douglas has met and interviewed dozens of serial killers to understand their motives. Manipulation, domination and control.
John Douglas stated “criminal or offender profiling, is a law enforcement investigation technique that attempts to determine the type of person who may have committed the crime based upon an individual’s behavior at the crime scene or at multiple crime scenes.” It is based on that humans are creatures of habit and will follow a certain behavior. Profilers rely on the fact that normal human behavior; characteristics and patterns remain the same, regardless of the act. A profile is a list of likely traits that the individual who committed the crime possesses. The purpose of the profile, like all other investigative tools, is to narrow the search down for police to a certain set of people that they can match to evidence.
When John Douglas interviewed Richard Speck he used a very good investigative technique. Douglas began to stoop down to the killer’s level.