The FBI’s Mindless “Mindhunter” on Netflix

The second season of the hit Netflix series “Mindhunter” is available for streaming on Netflix.  The first two seasons are very loosely based on a true-crime book-also titled “Mindhunter”- written by FBI Profiler John Douglas and co-author Mark Olshaker.  Douglas loosely based his true-crime book on his exploits with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit where he was tasked with profiling violent crimes. The book and the series are mildly entertaining but about as factual as a children’s fairy tale.

I’ve researched all of the cases mentioned in the book and the television series and found that profiling has not led to one direct apprehension of an offender. In fact, I’ve reviewed more than 45 infamous serial killers and their cases (through court records and at times actual video footage) and have determined that none of these killers was directly apprehended as a result of an FBI profile.

I’ve found that FBI profiling is a myth that the FBI will never admit to.  Why would they?  Movies such a as “Silence of the Lambs,” “Red Dragon, and “Hannibal” help to keep the myth alive.  There are numerous television shows that also depict the FBI profiling and even arresting serial killers.  People love the idea of FBI profilers “getting into the mind of the killer.”  People also love Harry Houdini and magic shows.  And that’s what profiling really is-smoke and mirrors. See this article for more information on the FBI’s dog and pony show.

During my research I’ve seen profiling hurt cases more than help them.  And I’ve seen profilers point the finger at the wrong person such as Richard Jewell who they thought was the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park Bomber (it was actually Eric Rudolph).  An FBI profiler has helped to wrongfully convict Raymond Lee Jennings . It would take an entire textbook for me to point out the fatal flaws of criminal profiling. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $15.00 (as of 12:45 UTC - Details)

There is one thing that you won’t see mentioned in any of the links or any scholarly articles

about criminal profiling:  Other than tribal lands, bank robberies, and crimes across state lines, the FBI has no charter to investigate violent crimes such as homicide and rape.  So where do they get their experience and knowledge.  They seem to depend on one study conducted in the 1970’s which examined 36 convicted and incarcerated sexual murderers. This is an extremely small sample size.  As an expert in criminal investigation and after having interviewed hundreds of hardened career criminals I can tell you for certain that someone with little to no experience investigating, apprehending , and interviewing these types of offenders has no chance to determine whether the criminals are telling the truth.  I view the study as unreliable as do other experts in the field.

So now what?  The study is unreliable but the FBI profiler is still there to complete criminal profiles.  But wait. They have no experience with investigating violent crimes so how are they supposed to be the experts.  The FBI profilers have never investigated a homicide or sex crimes case. How are they even remotely considered experts a homicide or sex crimes detective would rely on to assist in solving a case?  I have no idea.  But the myth is strong and investigators from outside agencies are influenced by those FBI profiler movies and TV shows.  They see it on the big screen so it must be true.  And so it goes.

When I was working as an NYPD Detective in the Manhattan Special Victims Squad I was assigned a serial rape case involving sixteen victims who were raped and sexually assaulted at gunpoint.  At one point in the investigation I made a trip, along with my partner to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia and then on to the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit located in a non-descript strip mall somewhere in Virginia.  We had worked very hard to put together a full presentation for a group of at least ten FBI profilers.  We actually thought we might learn something new about the cases from such an elite and special unit of FBI profilers who sat around a table to hear us out.  We delivered what I felt was a competent and very long presentation-16 cases takes some time to go through when you are including important facts such as scene behaviors, words used, and the like.  When it was over we eagerly awaited any bit of information that might help us gain insight into the offender or even solve this terrible serial case.  What we heard was more than disappointing.  Our own words were parroted back to us.  There was no new insight or even a new thought.  As members of the NYPD we had always been wary of the FBI.  To be frank, the NYPD looked down on the FBI.  But this was devastating.  Nothing new.  A waste of two days in Virginia when we could have been back in New York City trying to solve the case.  But it got worse. As we were leaving one of the FBI profilers asked us if she could ask a question on behalf of all those at the table.  She asked if we could bring one of our victims to their unit.  We asked the purpose of the victim’s visit.  The elite FBI profiler, who was there with ten other elite FBI profilers to help us solve our serial rape case, told us the profilers would like to interview a rape victim since they had never done so before.  We walked out, glanced at each other with a look of utter stunned disbelief, and made the 5 hour drive back to New York City.  Our victims deserved better.

This is what we should expect from an unconstitutional federal agency.