Applicants, Students, Affiliates, and Members of the ABP shall:

• Maintain an attitude of professionalism and integrity.

• Conduct all research in a generally accepted scientific manner.

• Assign appropriate credit for the ideas of others that are used.

• Treat all information (not in the public domain) from a client or agency in a confidential manner, unless specific permission to disseminate information is obtained.

• Maintain an attitude of independence and impartiality in order to ensure an unbiased analysis and interpretation of the evidence.

• Strive to avoid preconceived ideas or biases regarding potential suspects or offenders from influencing a final profile or crime analysis when appropriate.

• Render opinions and conclusions strictly in accordance with the evidence in the case.

• Not exaggerate, embellish, or otherwise misrepresent qualifications when testifying, or at any other time, in any form.

• Testify in an honest, straightforward manner and refuse to extend their opinion beyond their field of competence, phrasing testimony in a manner intended to avoid misinterpretation of their opinion.

• Not use a profile or crime analysis (the inference of Offender or Crime Scene Characteristics) for the purposes of suggesting the guilt or innocence of a particular individual for a particular crime.

• Make efforts to inform the court of the nature and implications of pertinent evidence if reasonably assured that this information will not be disclosed in court.

• Maintain the quality and standards of the professional community by reporting unethical conduct to the appropriate authorities or professional organizations.

There are three (3) types of sanctions for Applicants, Students, Affiliates, and Members of the ABP who have been found to have violated the ethical guidelines of this Academy:

Advisement: A written notification to the individual responsible for the violation to cease their unethical conduct. Two advisements result in an automatic warning.

Warning: A written warning to the individual responsible for the violation to cease their unethical conduct immediately or risk expulsion. Warnings will be made known to ABP membership. Two warnings result in automatic expulsion.

Expulsion: A written notification of expulsion from the Academy of Behavioral Profiling to the individual responsible for the violation. Expulsions will be made public.

The purpose of these sanctions is not necessarily to simply punish those responsible for unethical behavior, but to educate them, and give them an opportunity to make changes before more serious sanctions are levied. This provides a mechanism for identifying well intentioned individuals who err in judgment versus those whose ethics are at odds with those of the Academy.

Formal reports of ethics violations, with proper documentation, should be presented to the Ethics Committee within the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Ethics Committee shall investigate complaints regarding potential unethical conduct within the membership and then pass a recommendation along to the Board of Directors for an official vote.

No sanctions shall be given before those members involved are provided an opportunity to defend themselves.