The Horse’s Mouth

by Sheryl McCollum

I sat with the ex-Imperial Wizard of the KKK this week. The purpose of this meeting was to gain insight on this hate group in order to best work on an existing case.

When you sit two feet from a man who has physically harmed others, burned down a church, and verbally abused a race of people, a knee jerk reaction is to be repulsed and to wonder, Why aren't you in prison? Once you get past those reactions, you start to see how his knowledge can be useful.

The ex-wizard, “JC,” grew up poor in the Los Angeles projects and joined the KKK at the age of 14. A former wrestler, he now works at the FBI academy at Quantico as a trainer, speaking out against hate groups. Throughout our encounter, “JC” was open, honest, straightforward, and very clear about the workings of the Klu Klux Klan. He explained the organization's recurring tactics, its activities, and its resurgence since the election of President Obama.

One of the things he explained to me is the way such groups view alliances. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a commonly heard phrase in such organizations. Hate groups help other hate groups, in order to destroy their enemy. There is no loyalty. Hate groups will sell weapons to other groups, if they believe the buyers can assist in furthering their cause.

Let's look at another such insider: Joe Valachi. A mobster, he was the first to publicly acknowledge La Cosa Nostra's existence. His testimony was broadcast on radio and television and published in newspapers. Because of him, organized crime no longer had the advantage of invisibility. In his testimony before Congress in 1963, Valachi gave the names of over 300 mafioso while detailing the inner working of the mob, including its organizational structure, political ties, and crimes. At the time, then Attorney General Robert Kennedy said that Valachi’s testimony gave "meaning to much of what we know and brings the picture into sharper focus.”

Not all intelligence experts are hate-group or organized-crime family members. Frank W. Abagnale is a con man turned FBI trainer. Who better to teach young agents about fraud, embezzlement, and forgery than a master con man? The subject of the hit movie Catch me if you Can, Abagnale is a great teacher because he has not only researched but committed these crimes. With his knowledge and experience, he can explain how to best thwart these criminals.

Others are taking the training one step further and making ex-criminals police officers. The island nation of Fiji takes hardened criminals and turns them into cops. They see this as a way to rehabilitate former criminals and to give them a way to use their knowledge to fight crime. It's also a great way to keep tabs on your usual suspects.

Maybe some of you have watched the Discovery Channel's It Takes a Thief, in which two uniquely qualified experts break into homes to show homeowners just how defenseless their houses are to pros. The two experts are reformed ex-cons who know well the art of B&E.

Please keep in mind that criminals can serve in many ways. They have knowledge and an expertise in a certain type of crime and can train or assist police in preventing, fighting, or better understanding that crime. Whether they are called confidential informants, cooperating individuals, or substantial assistance, they have expertise the average police officer lacks. Having criminals work with police is also a great way to keep an eye on them. Remember: Keep your enemies closer – so to speak.

Bottom line: If I want to know how to make a pound cake, I ask Betty Crocker. If I want to know how the Smith & Wesson .50 Magnum handles, I ask Leslie Bailey. If I want to know about the KKK, I go to the source.

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INTRODUCING CATHY SCOTT & SHERYL McCOLLUM

Women in Crime Ink is pleased to introduce two new regular contributors: True Crime Author Cathy Scott and Crime Analyst Sheryl McCollum.

Cathy Scott is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who's received more than a dozen awards from news organizations in California and Nevada. Her work—which has appeared in The New York Times, Reuters, George magazine, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The New York Times Magazine, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Las Vegas Sun—has taken her to Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Panama. Dividing her time between San Diego and Las Vegas, Cathy also writes fulltime for Best Friends Animal Society's magazine and Web site. She is a member of the Authors Guild and the Society of Professional Journalists' national Speakers Bureau. She has served as the Nevada chairwoman of the Society of Professional Journalist’s Sunshine Committee, which works to keep government records open to the public. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Cathy was an adjunct journalism instructor for five years, a position she gave up to stay on the Gulf Coast for nearly four months to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Cathy is perhaps best known as the author of seven nonfiction books, including the Los Angeles Times best-seller The Killing of Tupac Shakur as well as the critically acclaimed The Murder of Biggie Smalls. Her other crime titles include Death in the Desert: The Ted Binion Homicide Case and Murder of a Mafia Daughter: The Life and Tragic Death of Susan Berman. Cathy's latest, The Rough Guide to True Crime, is being released August 31. She is currently finishing the case of Barbara Kogan, a Manhattan millionaire's widow who was indicted late last year for the contract murder of her husband nearly two decades ago. The book is scheduled for release by St. Martin’s Press True Crime Library in spring 2010.

Cathy has appeared on Unsolved Mysteries, Oxygen network’s “Snapped,” the Discovery Channel, CourtTV, CNN, MTV, Uncovered TV, Talk Books, and National Public Radio.

Women in Crime Ink is also welcoming Atlanta-based Sheryl McCollum, renowned crime analyst and college professor. She is the Director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute. Under Sheryl's direction, the Institute has been responsible for helping renew interest in cases that were deemed unsolvable. Sheryl has been involved in a number of notable investigations, including the disappearances of Natalee Holloway, Chandra Levy, and Amber Hagerman, as well as historical cases such as the Atlanta Child Murders and the Moore's Ford Bridge Lynching.

Sheryl is also the Director of a Metro Atlanta Cold Case Crime Analysis Squad. During the 1996 Olympic Games, Sheryl was Coordinator for the Crisis Response Team, which planned and trained for four years and responded to the Centennial Olympic Park Bombing, providing victim services through the criminal trial seven years later. In the wake of 9/11, Sheryl was Director of the Georgia team that was sent to the Pentagon in Washington, DC (aftermath at left). She is a POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) Certified Instructor, a Hostage Negotiator, a Crime Scene Technician, and a First Responder. Holding two Master’s Degrees, one in Policing and one in Criminal Justice, Sheryl is also a college professor, teaching Criminal Investigation, Crime Scene, and Forensics.

You can watch her as a regular guest expert on Nancy Grace. Sheryl has also been featured on Fox and Friends and CNN. Most recently, she is co-host of the new program "Fugitive Fridays" on the The Levi Page Show.

Read Sheryl's first piece for Women in Crime Ink on Thursday. And you can expect Cathy's first post a week from tomorrow, on July 23rd.

Please join us in welcoming our newest contributors!

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