Love, Bombs, and Molesters: An FBI Agent's Journey - Paperback

by Kenneth V. Lanning (Author)

"Ken Lanning's memoir can be read as an autobiography of one of the giants in criminal behavior analysis, as a treatise on child sexual abuse, or as the story of how his romance with his beloved wife Kathy shaped his Navy career, which opened the door to an extraordinary FBI career. Here, he tackles past and current social controversies with his characteristic thoughtfulness, concern for objectivity, humility, and humor." Park Dietz, MD, PhD, Forensic Psychiatrist.

"Ken Lanning was one of the best instructors the FBI Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) ever had and he went on to became one of the leading experts in the country on the behavioral analysis of crimes against children. This book is the story of his life leading up to his assignment to the BSU and how he developed his expertise and inspired others during his 20-year career in the Unit as a bridge from the old BSU to the new Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to better understand the evolution of the FBI BSU and the skills needed to objectively conduct professional behavioral analysis." John Douglas, Retired FBI Unit Chief, FBI Profiler, and author of Mindhunter.

"Ken Lanning's career was to the world of child molestation what "Silence of the Lambs" was to serial killers. As an FBI agent in the Behavioral Science Unit, he spent decades confronting people who sexually victimize children. Ken's research, publishing, teaching, consulting and courtroom testimony have influenced more cases than can be counted. Read this book to enter his world, and then you will understand what he did, why he did it, and why it made a difference to protecting children." Lt. Bill Walsh, Dallas Police Department (Retired), Coordinator of the Crimes Against Children Conference.

This book describes the author's journey from growing up in the Bronx, NY and wanting to get married, to becoming a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician, then one of the first FBI bomb technicians, and finally the leading expert concerning the sexual victimization of children in the noted FBI Behavioral Science Unit (BSU). The author's evolving "profiling" career, spanning from the old Behavioral Science Unit of Silence of the Lambs to the new Behavioral Analysis Unit of Criminal Minds, lasted longer than that of any other FBI agent doing behavioral analysis. The book is relevant to a wider audience beyond readers simply interested in true-crime stories. The story of the author's journey illuminates how to better identify fake news and alternative facts, process and circulate information, and form opinions and make decisions about important issues. "In this engaging story of his personal and professional life, readers learn of the challenges and triumphs of his career and the overarching life lessons he learned along the way - lessons that will help anyone think more critically." Bette Bottoms, Professor University of Illinois at Chicago.

Author Biography

Kenneth Lanning is currently a consultant in the area of crimes against children. Before retiring in 2000, he was a Special Agent with the FBI for more than 30 years. He was assigned to the FBI Behavioral Science Unit and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia for 20 of those years (longer than any other agent doing behavioral analysis). He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) and is a former member of the APSAC Advisory Board. He is a former member of the Advisory Board of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA). Mr. Lanning is the 1990 recipient of the Jefferson Award for Research from the University of Virginia, the 1996 recipient of the Outstanding Professional Award from APSAC, the 1997 recipient of the FBI Director's Annual Award for Special Achievement for his career accomplishments in connection with missing and exploited children, and the 2009 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Service from the National Children's Advocacy Center. He has testified on seven occasions before the U.S. Congress and many times as an expert witness in state and federal court. Mr. Lanning has authored numerous publications and consulted on thousands of cases involving the sexual victimization of children. He has lectured before and trained tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, social workers, mental health and medical personnel, judges, and other professionals.