Everything Everywhere Daily FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit
Oct 11, 2025
Dive into the intriguing world of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, where psychology meets crime fighting. Explore how interviews with serial killers led to groundbreaking profiling techniques that revolutionized law enforcement. Discover the distinction between organized and disorganized offenders, and learn about the phases of profiling from investigation to prosecution. The discussion also tackles the controversies surrounding profiling's effectiveness and its evolution into a vital support tool for law enforcement across the country.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Origins Of The Behavioral Science Unit
- The BSU began in 1972 to study violent crime and the criminal mind through interviews and research.
- Early work by Douglas, Ressler, and Burgess created foundational knowledge on serial killers used for future profiling.
Prison Interviews Shaped Profiling
- Agents interviewed convicted serial predators like Edmund Kemper, John Wayne Gacy, and David Berkowitz to learn motive and methods.
- They used those interviews to coin the term 'serial killer' and build a case database.
VICAP Enabled Cross‑State Matching
- VICAP centralized violent crime data so investigators could link crimes across jurisdictions.
- This database made cross-state pattern recognition and profiling practical for active investigations.