Page:FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 55 (12).pdf/5



In addition to establishing the task force, Smith required each agency of the Department of Justice to submit a report outlining what the agency might do to assist in a national effort to reduce the level of violent crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received its mandate, and Director William H. Webster began a systematic survey of Bureau resources to determine those which could be applied to this national cause. The FBI's Training Division located at the FBI Academy at Quantico, VA, was immediately considered to be a major resource to draw upon for ideas. It was often used as a think tank to address issues of this nature. After sub­mitting its initial report, the Training Divi­sion was designated the lead division in formulating the FBI's role in combating violent crime in America, and within it, the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) became the center of activity.

Over the years, the BSU had established an impressive record of furnishing assistance to Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. During training on violent criminal behavior, police officers would frequently discuss unsolved cases and ask for the instructor's opinion about the type of person they might be seeking. They were also interested in obtaining innovative investigative ideas, and the instructors helped them plan case strategies. Soon, the BSU was con­sulting on unsolved cases on a regular basis through a formalized Crime Analysis and Criminal Personality Pro­filing Program.

FBI Agents from the Behavioral Science Unit had also completed the first law enforcement-oriented be­ havioral science Criminal Personality Research Project. Thirty-six of the most notorious sexually oriented serial murderers incarcerated at that time and their hundreds of crimes had been analyzed. $7$ The research instrument consisted of a 5-part, 57-page protocol which was completed in conjunction with 5- to 10-hour intensive interviews of the murderers by veteran FBI Agents with behavioral science backgrounds. The overall purpose was to elicit information regarding each offender's developmental history; physical and personality characteristics; modus operandi; pre- and post-offense behavior; victim selection, manipulation, and control; and techniques used to successfully evade detection, apprehension, prosecution, and confinement.

The research was conducted with the assistance of academic and mental health consultants who were led by Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess of Boston City Hospital and Boston University (now at the University of Pennsylvania). The Na­tional lnstitute of Justice (NIJ) awarded a grant to Dr. Burgess to pursue the project with her FBI colleagues. The research resulted in the development of valuable investigative techniques, as well as insights into the personalities of these killers. This body of knowledge served to enhance training and con­sultation functions. The staff of the BSU was often called upon to address criminal justice and behavioral science conferences and symposia on violent crime matters.

In addition to their training, research, and consultation functions specifically designed to help law en­forcement officers deal more effectively with violent crime, members of the Behavioral Science Unit traveling throughout the country had occasion to observe a variety of State and local pro­grams designed to deal with violent crime problems and to identify the best. Ideas such as former Los Angeles December 1986 / 3