Ways to Profile a Killer

There are so many television series these days about profiling criminals, and new ones are coming out every year it seems. Criminal profiling is a science of psychology, actually, and a relatively new field / way of thinking in the approach to investigating murders. You’ve no doubt heard of it being used in tracking down and solving the crimes of serial killers. 

The FBI developed and implemented the first system of profiling back in the 1980’s, and they broke it down into three distinct parts. Each of the parts is as important as the previous. Let’s have a quick look at a few of the facets of criminal profiling.

1. Organization

The investigative team needs to take the time to gather and organize all of the information for a case. They must interview any witnesses, examine the crime scene photos and canvass the neighborhood. This allows for them to put a timeline together of the murders.

2. Identify the type of murder

During this stage, the profilers will have to take the timeline and all the evidence they’ve collected and closely examine the nature of the crime. Profilers are trained to spot the intricacies and characteristics of serial murders. This type of identification will be done during this stage.

3. Psychology of the Killer

One of the most fascinating aspects to criminal profiling is the ability, for those doing the profiling, of getting inside the mind of the murderers. Being able to differentiate between organized killers or those simply caught up in the passion and impulsivity of it is key. These types of determinations can help the authorities not only put together a more detailed profile of a killer, but also to start being able to identify the killer’s patterns. Once patterns start to become clear, authorities are able to start looking more closely at suspects and who might fit the mold for these particular crimes.