Criminal justice students dream of becoming profilers at the FBI\u0092s legendary Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. Gregg McCrary \u009292 already had the job when he started graduate school at Marymount University.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u0093Getting an advanced degree was a way to broaden my perspective,\u0094 said McCrary, a 25-year FBI veteran who was one of its first criminal profilers. \u0093I wanted to have a deeper and fuller understanding of the mental illnesses we were dealing with.\u0094
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\nHe earned a master\u0092s degree in psychological services, and praised the school for accommodating his often hectic schedule. Soon after he completed his degree, MU began its forensic and legal psychology program. He has served as an adjunct professor since retiring from the Bureau in 1995. That\u0092s in addition to his work as a consultant, expert witness and author of \u0093The Unknown Darkness,\u0094 a book that highlights 10 of his most memorable cases.
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\nHis wife calls him \u0093the ultimate failure\u0094 at retiring.
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\n\u00a0\u0093But at this stage in my career, I appreciate the opportunity to teach and do workshops and try to pass along what I think I\u0092ve learned over the decades to the new people coming up,\u0094 he said.
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\nMcCrary blocks out a week each summer for a 40-hour graduate level class in behavioral criminology. The course provides an introduction to the relationship between mental disorders and criminal behavior.
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\n\u0093I don\u0092t try to rain on anyone\u0092s parade, but the chances of getting a job as a profiler are pretty small,\u0094 he said. \u0093You have to be an FBI agent first, prove yourself in the field, learn to interview and interrogate and then apply for the position. Out of the current 13,000 agents, about 25 do that work.\u0094
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\nThe reality of the job isn\u0092t what is shown on television.
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\n\u0093Instead of wearing a vest and kicking down doors, a real profiler reviews police reports, lab reports, crime scene photos, and other materials in order to offer productive investigative assistance,\u0094 he said.
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\nBehavioral criminal psychology does offer plenty of opportunity, and McCrary hopes to ignite his students\u0092 interest in criminal justice.
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\n\u0093It\u0092s far from a perfect system, and I try to show some of the flaws and challenges that are out there,\u0094 he said. \u0093I want them to get excited seeing those challenges and seize the opportunity to make a difference.\u0094<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Criminal justice students dream of becoming profilers at the FBI\u0092s legendary Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. Gregg McCrary \u009292 already had the job when he started graduate school at Marymount University.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u0093Getting an advanced degree was a way to broaden my perspective,\u0094 said McCrary, a 25-year FBI veteran who was one of its […]<\/p>\n