| Main Character: Suspect Behavior | |
| Name | Sam Cooper |
| Gender | Male |
| Job | BAU Team Leader |
| Rank | Supervisory Special Agent |
| Status | Alive |
| Portrayed By | Forest Whitaker |
| First Appearance | The Fight |
Sam Cooper is the leader of the BAU team in Minds 2.0.
Background
Much of Sam's past is currently unknown, though he is rumored to have performed some kind of psychological operations overseas between leaving the BAU and rejoining it. He is an old friend of Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi and is very close to fellow team member Mick Rawson, whom he handpicked for his team 10 months prior to The Fight. Their exact relationship, nor their past, is not elaborated on, though Mick says he'd trust Sam with his life and would die for him. He is also a skilled practitioner of some unspecified martial art.
On the Job
Cooper is a very dedicated agent. In The Fight, the backdoor pilot for Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, when John Vincent Bell began another cycle of killings, he defied orders from Erin Strauss not to investigate the case. Enlisting Aaron Hotchner and his BAU team to aid his team, they were able to solve the case. At the end of the episode, Cooper received a call from Strauss, telling him that she had a pile of cases for him.