About John E. Douglas
John E. Douglas is a retired American special agent and unit chief in the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of criminal profiling, and he worked on some of the most notorious serial killer cases in history, including the cases of Ted Bundy, Dennis Rader (the BTK Killer), and David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam).
Douglas was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1945. He served in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970, and he then joined the FBI. Douglas began his career as a field agent, but he was soon transferred to the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), where he helped to develop the field of criminal profiling.
Criminal profiling is the process of using information about a crime and its victim to develop a psychological profile of the offender. This information can then be used to identify and apprehend the offender. Douglas and his colleagues at the BSU developed a number of techniques for criminal profiling, and they helped to train law enforcement officers around the world in these techniques.
Douglas retired from the FBI in 1995, but he has continued to work as a consultant and author. He has written several books on criminal profiling and serial killers, including the best-selling Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.
Douglas is a pioneer in the field of criminal profiling, and his work has helped to solve countless crimes and bring dangerous offenders to justice. He is also a talented author and speaker, and he has helped to educate the public about the dangers of serial killers and other criminals.
Douglas is a true American hero, and he deserves to be remembered for his contributions to law enforcement and public safety.
John E. Douglas Bibliography
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit (1995)
Journey Into Darkness (1997)
Obsession: The FBI’s Legendary Profiler Probes the Dark Mind of Ted Bundy (2000)
The Anatomy of Motive: The FBI’s Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals (2006)
The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with My FBI Experience (2019)
Douglas has also co-authored several books, including:
Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives (1992) with Mark Olshaker
Law & Disorder (1996) with Mark Olshaker
The Killer’s Shadow: The FBI’s Hunt for a White Collar Serial Killer (2006) with Mark Olshaker
Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer (2009) with Mark Olshaker
Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI (2011) with Mark Olshaker
Broken Wings (1999) with Mark Olshaker
Man Down (2002) with Mark Olshaker