James R. Fitzgerald | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1953-06-24)June 24, 1953 (age 71) |
| Police career | |
| Department | Bensalem Township Police Department Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| Service years | 1976–2007[1] |
| Status | Retired |
| Rank | Supervisory Special Agent |
| Other work | Consultant |
| Website | jamesrfitzgerald |
James R. Fitzgerald (born June 24, 1953) is an Americancriminal profiler,forensic linguist, and author. He is a retiredFBI agent and best known for his role in the UNABOM investigation, which resulted in the arrest and conviction ofTed Kaczynski.[2][3]
Fitzgerald's career inlaw enforcement began in 1976 as apolice officer inBensalem Township, Pennsylvania. In 1987, after eleven years of local police work culminating in his promotion to the rank of sergeant, he was recruited by theFederal Bureau of Investigation. Upon graduation from theFBI Academy inQuantico, Virginia, Fitzgerald was assigned to the New York Field Division's Joint Bank Robbery Task Force. In 1995, Fitzgerald was promoted toCriminal Profiler at theNational Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which would later become the FBI'sBehavioral Analysis Unit, or BAU. Through myriad investigations ofhomicide,serial rape,extortion,kidnapping, andworkplace violence, Fitzgerald refined his skills inforensic linguistics andthreat assessment, specialties that were used in theUNABOM investigation. In an interview withNPR, Fitzgerald said the Unabomber's writings were a "pivotal factor" in cracking the Unabomber's case. He further claimed that he and his colleagues used the writing in theUnabomber Manifesto to help pinpoint the age and geographic origin of their suspect.[4]
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),[5] an exhaustively indexed repository of data consisting of every communicated threat encountered in the course of FBI investigations.
Fitzgerald has remained active in the fields of criminal profiling and forensic linguistics since retiring from the FBI in 2007, holding positions as adjunct faculty at bothHofstra University inHempstead, New York,Stockton University inPomona, New Jersey, andCalifornia University of Pennsylvania inCalifornia, Pennsylvania. He continues to work as a private consultant and technical advisor to free media productions, such asCriminal Minds andSleepy Hollow. Fitzgerald served as a consulting producer in theDiscovery Channel's 2017 miniseriesManhunt: Unabomber,[6] which features actorSam Worthington as James "Fitz" Fitzgerald, described by Fitzgerald as "a composite character" of many investigators inthe Unabomber case.[7]