By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Top Criminal Profiler Visits Lethbridge College Justice Studies Students

Sep 23, 2016 | 5:01 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Canada’s first female criminal profiler to be trained by the FBI spoke at Lethbridge College Friday (Sept. 23) to wide-eyed Justice Studies students.

Kate Lines recalled her career as a chief superintendent and a criminal profiler and gave examples of tactics that she used throughout her career.

“I hope they will see the funny side. There’s the opportunity to see the good in some pretty desperate and ugly situations,” Lines said. “Not all of my investigation stories have happy endings. I was a criminal profiler of 26 years and we tended to see the worst of the worst. However, in all the stories there are little nuggets of learning and some uplifting stories.”

Lines told students that she realized early on in her career that the best way to thrive in the industry was to keep calm, carry on and never lose her sense of humour.

Over the years, Lines was involved in a number of high-profile cases, such as the abduction and murder of Kristen French and of Tori Stafford and the disappearance of Michael Dunahee.

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Lines touched on how the industry has changed over the years.

“When I first started there was no such thing as DNA. For any police officer today the advancement in forensic sciences is one to note. In particular with cold cases police can go back and pull out evidence and find out who is responsible for the crime.”

Kate joined the Ontario Provincial Police in 1977. Her early work involved uniform patrol, undercover drug investigations, fraud and major crime.

In 1991, she completed the FBI’s Criminal Profiling Fellowship Program in Quantico, Virigina, becoming the second Canadian to graduate from the program. Later she became the first female Director of Ontario Provincial Police Intelligence Bureau.

Throughout the seminar Lines stressed the importance of always remaining focused on the courage of the victims and their families and avoid glorifying criminals.