Criminal Profiler: FBI Research Report Example

Who is a criminal profiler and what do they do? How do they work and what did they have to do to get to where they are? I think that criminal profiling might be one of the hardest jobs, out there. Why would someone want to do this job? What are the pros and cons? A criminal Forensic profiler is most likely one of the most difficult and challenging jobs out there and can be very draining. “ The spine of the FBI is the rule of law. The spine of the FBI is a commitment to doing the right thing, in the right way, while protecting civil liberties.” - James Comey, FBI agent. 

The main intention for a criminal profiler is to create a psychological profile of the criminal they’re investigating, using evidence that they’ve collected. They help to keep our country and community safe while specializing in many areas, profiling being one of the many. They compile evidence from other cases and then they compare the information that they already have to see if they can use it for the case, to see if it can help understand the criminal better, that they are currently researching. How can you become a criminal profiler for the FBI? First off you have to graduate high school with good grades and then get into college. It would help your chances if you went for phycology, law, or even government, and volunteer at a local law enforcement agency. After that getting a bachelor’s in criminal justice, forensics, or anything closely related, may also help your chances of getting accepted to the FBI academy. For anyone wanting to be in the BAU -Behavioral analysis unit- for the FBI, you need to have a bachelor’s to apply to the Academy. You have to attend a law enforcement academy and make it through, have experience of at least five years in the law enforcement field, before joining the BAU, also having to take part in frequent training.            

What are the basic requirements for becoming a profiler? You have to be a United States citizen and have lived in the U.S. for the last three years. Be between the ages of 23 and 37. You will have to take an extensive background check, drug test, meticulous physical test, and a lie detector check. If you have passed all these tests you will be accepted into the FBI training program. What should you expect from working as an FBI agent? You are required to work at least fifty hours a week and the job is a traveling job so expect to travel. A big question asked is if you need to know a foreign language. The answer is no but it is very useful and if you do you have a higher chance of being accepted. “ You can’t be an FBI agent without being cautious and thinking things through. That’s just part of the training.” - Malik Yoba             

The life of being an FBI agent can also be very stressful on your relationships because you can be gone a lot and can not tell them where or why you're going. It can take a big toll on your life and can cause strains. Agents normally travel for long periods and life can become very uncertain. One agent from New York said this, “My wife and I were married on May 25 of last year. I was assigned to a case two days later and couldn’t tell her where I was or when I would be back or what was going on. I next saw her July 14.”. There must be something awesome and great about being a part of the FBI because in one of the articles that I read it said that on average only 4% of agents leave per year.                    

What is the timeline of the FBI agent? When first becoming an agent you are usually paired with a more experienced agent to understand everything and get the ropes of the place. When you are five years into being an agent you have most likely worked with other government agencies. The skills of the agents have advanced dramatically, and those who have big talent become senior agents. Ten years into being an agent, pay has heavily increased and hours and decreased. At this point you are almost on pension and if you are very talented after you can return to Quantico to become a trainer or an instructor. The FBI is a very amazing place and is also a risk. You can be put in dangerous situations and there's always the risk of getting hurt. At the end of the day though I think it would be worth it being able to save someone's life.    

So in conclusion being an FBI agent is extremely challenging and there are a lot of difficulties, but at the end of the day, it can be worth it. Some people may find that the FBI isn't for them because of the troubling situations they can be put in and the mindset it has. That's okay too because it's not for everyone. Becoming an FBI agent has its struggles and there are pros and cons but at the end of the day, you get to help someone, and that has to be with something.