We already know that Ford is based on a real person, criminal profiler John E. Douglas . Douglas wrote Mind Hunter: Mind Hunter: Inside The FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit in 1995 and is a renowned detective. Douglas is not a serial killer or psychopath. This doesn't mean Ford isn't a psychopath. Douglas has inspired several characters in film and television, including Jack Crawford of Silence of the Lambs (1991) and the FBI profilers Jason Gideon and David Rossi in Criminal Minds. At this point, Douglas is more of an archetype than a fully-fleshed character, and creative liberties can be taken.