James R. Fitzgerald
James R. Fitzgerald (born June 17, 1953) is a retired FBI agent, criminal profiler, forensic linguist, media/entertainment consultant, and author. Fitzgerald is best known for his pivotal role in bringing the UNABOM investigation—the most prolonged, expensive investigation in the FBI's history[1] at the time—to a successful conclusion, resulting in the arrest and conviction of the serial killer Theodore Kaczynski, commonly known as the Unabomber.[2][3]
Contents
Law enforcement career[edit]
Fitzgerald's career in law enforcement began in 1976 when he was hired as a police officer by the municipality of Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania. In 1987, after eleven years of local police work culminating in his promotion to the rank of sergeant, he was recruited by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Upon graduation from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Fitzgerald was assigned to the New York Field Division's Joint Bank Robbery Task Force. In 1995, Fitzgerald was promoted to Criminal Profiler at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which would later become the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, or BAU. Through myriad investigations of homicide, serial rape, extortion, kidnapping, and workplace violence, Fitzgerald refined his skills in text analysis and threat assessment, specialties that proved crucial to the successful resolution of the UNABOM investigation.
In addition to his duties as a profiler and forensic linguist at the BAU, Fitzgerald was also responsible for developing training programs and tools to improve the threat assessment capabilities of the FBI. Among these is the Communicated Threat Assessment Database (CTAD),[4] an exhaustively indexed repository of data consisting of every communicated threat encountered in the course of FBI investigations.
Later career[edit]
Fitzgerald has remained active in the fields of criminal profiling and forensic linguistics since retiring from the FBI, holding positions as adjunct faculty at both Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York and Stockton University in Pomona, New Jersey. He also continues to work as a private consultant and technical advisor to media productions such as Criminal Minds and Sleepy Hollow. James Fitzgerald's latest media project, the Discovery Channel's (2017) 8-part miniseries, Manhunt: Unabomber,[5] features actor Sam Worthington as James "Fitz" Fitzgerald and Paul Bettany as Ted Kaczynski.
Television[edit]
- A&E's Killer Profile - Executive Producer and Co-Host[6]
- CBS TV’s The case of: Jon Benet Ramsey - on-air expert[7]
- CBS TV's Criminal Minds - Technical Advisor[3]
- Discovery Channel’s Manhunt: Unabomber - Producer[8]
Publications[edit]
- 2003: 'Workplace violence: from threat to intervention,' in Clinics in Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- 2004: 'Using A Forensic Linguistic Approach to Track the Unabomber,' in Profilers, Campbell, John H., and DeNevi, Don, Prometheus Books
- 2006: Forensic Linguistic Services at the Behavioral Analysis Unit-1, an FBI handbook detailing services offered at the BAU-1
- 2007: 'The FBI’s Communicated Threat Assessment Database; History, Design, and Implementation', in FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
- 2014: A Journey to the Center of the Mind, Book I, The Coming-of-Age Years, Infinity Publishing
- 2017: A Journey to the Center of the Mind, Book II, The Police Officer Years, Infinity Publishing
- 2017: A Journey to the Center of the Mind, Book III, The (First Ten) FBI Years, Infinity Publishing
References[edit]
- ^ "FBI Profile: Suspect is educated and isolated". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- ^ Davis, Pat. "The Historian's Spotlight - James Fitzgerald". FBI National Academy Associates. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ a b Nevitt, Cindy. "Stockton professors minds behind 'Criminal Minds'". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
- ^ Fitzgerald, James (2007). "The FBI's Communicated Threat Assessment Database". FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. 76: 6–9.
- ^ "'Manhunt: Unabomber' Star Sam Worthington Tells Us About Playing the FBI Agent Who Took Down The Ultimate Serial Killer". Maxim. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ^ Silberman, Dan (24 September 2013). "LMN PREMIERES FIRST ORIGINAL SERIES 'KILLER PROFILE'". A&E Networks. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey Will Solve the Murder". E! Online. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (2017-06-05). "TV News Roundup: Discovery Releases First Trailer for ‘Manhunt: Unabomber’". Variety. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
