# Could something like the "Criminal Minds" (or "Unsub," or "Millennium") team exist IRL?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 25, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348 "2010-12-25T08:26:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348/21 "2010-12-26T08:33:48Z")

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My post was totally there when you wrote that **Dio**. :mad: So you know you are repeating what I said. You may accept your flogging now.

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**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348/22 "2010-12-26T08:39:22Z")

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> [@miss\_elizabeth](#):
>
> My post was totally there when you wrote that **Dio**. :mad: So you know you are repeating what I said. You may accept your flogging now.

Sorry, I didn’t read your post before I made mine, but I will acknowledge you said it first and accept my flogging. Just not in the face, ok? That’s my moneymaker.

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**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348/23 "2010-12-26T08:51:41Z")

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Then what’s the FBI doing with them in the first place? I mean, it’s not like the Feds have a Psychic Task Force… That I know of.

(Though according to [this FAQ](http://www.fbijobs.gov/114.asp), no one at the FBI has the job title of “profiler,” perhaps for reasons already mentioned in this thread.)

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348/24 "2010-12-26T15:25:14Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> What do you mean _could_? The FBI currently fields three BAU teams:
> 
> [http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cirg/investigations-and-operations-support/investigations-operations-support](http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cirg/investigations-and-operations-support/investigations-operations-support)
> 
> And like the BAU of the Criminal Minds world, they deal with more than just serial killers. They also investigate kidnappings, spree killers, terrorism and mysterious deaths.
> 
> Essentially, the BAU is the closest real-life analogue to CTU and The X-Files.

So, what’s their track record? And, does their whole operation depend on profiling to the degree the TV team’s does?

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**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-something-like-the-criminal-minds-or-unsub-or-millennium-team-exist-irl/565348/25 "2010-12-26T15:40:48Z")

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While the BAU teams exist, I don’t think they actually (generally) jaunt around the country taking prominent lead roles in active investigations. What reading from profilers I’ve done seems to suggest that a lot of the time they just receive files from some police agency and put together a report with advice.

But if they do take regular active roles I want to know if they get their own airplane like the Criminal Minds people.

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