"Profilers can aid case, but they won't solve it"

This is a pretty good article on criminal profilers.

Profilers were sure the D.C. sniper was white. John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were black.

Profilers thought the Green River killer couldn't hold a steady job. Gary Ridgway worked for 31 years for the same company.

Profiles can be a useful tool in a criminal investigation--particularly one that has hit a dead-end--but shouldn't be so central that investigators ignore other clues, experts say.

And i really liked this part.

Egger, who has written four books on serial murders, said most profilers are either retired FBI agents or psychiatrists or psychologists who have moved into that area and were trained by the FBI.

"Profiling of course has gotten a lot of play because of television and movies," he said.
"Profiler" was a television show in which the main character was a beautiful blond woman who also was psychic.

"It was ridiculous," Egger said.