3 Sessions for Behavioral Profiling Buffs

As I mentioned previously , I’m most fascinated by the human behavioral element of crime. The human brain is very nearly a perfectly-functioning machine, but when it goes wrong, it goes really wrong. Many experts and investigators believe that studying the behaviors of offenders before, during, and after they’ve committed a crime may be the key to preventing crime altogether. If you’re drawn to cases like OJ Simpson’s or Ted Bundy’s, in which the suspect’s behavior seems to betray their crimes after the fact, these three sessions should factor into your CrimeCon 2018 schedule.

Homicide prevention. It sounds like the core of a dystopian, futuristic Tom Cruise movie (because it is ), but Laura Richards has dedicated much of her life to making it a reality. Richards has spent twenty-plus years studying the behaviors of stalkers and domestic abusers. In that time, she created the Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service , which has helped more than 2,000 victims of stalking and domestic abuse in the U.K., and has been instrumental in lobbying for defined stalking and harassment legislation.

But it’s Richards’s DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking, and Harassment) risk assessment model that’s helping investigators identify high-risk factors that may indicate a serial perpetrator is escalating -- and stop them before it’s too late. Richards uses the DASH model to train law enforcement personnel in recognizing when a domestic abuse or stalking victim is in danger of losing his or her life at the hands of their abuser. In this session, you’ll learn 35 behaviors, traits, and characteristics that put DASH victims at risk and how to protect yourself and your loved ones from a horrific fate.

On average, people lie four times a day. If you’re still bitter (not that I am) that Lie to Me was abruptly canceled, you’ll want to make room in your CrimeCon schedule for Stephen Lampley’s session “How to Catch a Liar.” (Hint: it takes much more than three spotty seasons of Tim Roth tilting his head at a suspect like a German Shepherd puppy.)

In "How to Catch a Liar,” you’ll not only learn some of the techniques and indicators that investigators look for to determine whether a suspect is lying, you'll put those techniques and your own instincts to the test to see if you can find the fibber.

Lampley, who is a former friend of serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, spent twenty-one years as a police officer and detective investigating SVU sex crimes undercover. He was the arresting officer of The Clairemont Killer (Cleophus Prince Jr.), a case featured on America's Most Wanted. In this session, Lampley will cover concepts like base shift, verbal/physical disconnects, and allusion versus evasion that will help fine-tune your BS detector.

If you’re excited about behavioral profiling, you’re probably excited about Jim Clemente. The former FBI profiler, New York City prosecutor, Criminal Minds writer/producer, CrimeCon emcee and fox killer was instrumental in building the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit before his retirement. Since then, he’s become a fixture on a multitude of true crime television series, specials, and podcasts.

For this session at CrimeCon 2018, Clemente joins forces with John H. White, Ph.D. As an investigator sergeant in the Internal Affairs Division of the Dallas Police Department, White investigated numerous police officer shootings and was assigned to the Psychological Services Office and the Fugitive and Special Investigations Unit. White is currently a Professor of Psychology at Stockton University in Pomona, New Jersey, where he has developed a database of over 500 serial killers tracking 164 behavioral risk factors and variables.

Clemente and White will take you deeper into the dark minds and psyches of serial killers than you’ve ever gone before. Steel yourself to learn how they got away with horrendous, unspeakable acts, their motivations, and what led to their eventual demise. I’ve been told that this is not a session for the timid or weak at heart. The information in this session may help you protect yourself and your loved ones from becoming the victim of a killer, yes. But you may also begin to notice some disturbing behaviors in your friends and coworkers (seriously, stop clipping your fingernails at your desk. It’s weird).