NCIS Confidential: Solving Real-Life Cold Cases To Catch Killers

**Joe Kennedy**

Robert, you know, I'll go back to the first cold case that I was really involved in that had success.

it was a case down in the Virgin Islands. And a naval officer, Dana Bartlett was brutally murdered by three suspects there.

**Robert Riggs**

Former NCIS Agent Joe Kennedy went on to establish the first federal cold case homicide unit.

Starting in 1986 with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Kennedy investigated crimes involving sailors and marines around the world.

Hello. I’m investigative reporter Robert Riggs here to take you inside the crime scene tape to hear about cold cases from the real-life agency popularized by Hollywood –NCIS.

**Robert Riggs**

Joe Kennedy is still out there lending his cold case experience to small law enforcement agencies that seek help.

He serves on the Cold Case Coalition, a non-profit volunteer organization comprised of retired law enforcement officers and experts.

And Kennedy has written a brilliant guide for cold case investigators titled Solving Cold Cases-Investigation Techniques and Protocols.

I’ve placed links in the show notes.

Here’s part two of my interview with Joe Kennedy.

**Robert Riggs**

Joe. How do you define a cold case? When does an active murder investigation or rape investigation go cold?

**Robert Riggs**

We're going to pause for a moment for a message. And when we come back, I want to talk about cold case murders that are staged to look like suicide.

**Robert Riggs**

I'm talking with Joe Kennedy, the author of solving cold cases, investigation techniques and protocol, who spent years with the NCI s started the first federal cold case unit.

**Joe Kennedy**

So, but I think we'd have a tremendous over reliance on on DNA, and technology and in we need to spend more time with his own guns, gumshoe techniques of report based interviews, spending long periods of time with critical witnesses, long periods of time with suspects to gain their trust. So they will confess to us and tell us they did it.

**Joe Kennedy**

This is the success of cold case investigators, they have to have three things, right?

**Joe Kennedy**

You treat people the way you want to be treated, period. And that's the way I've tried to investigate.

**Robert Riggs**

with NCIS, you worked cases all over the world. Do you find that when it comes to murder, it's it's the same everywhere?

**Joe Kennedy**

And I'm not trying to sound like a tough guy or anything. It just it's just what I did.

**Robert Riggs**

Joe Kennedy, thank you very much. The book again, is solving cold cases, investigation techniques and protocol. Thank you so much, and thanks for your work that you're still out there working cases.

**Joe Kennedy**

Yeah, I'll be out here till I die. Robert. I got too much anxiety if I don't have something to do I get anxiety. Thank you.

**Robert Riggs**

In closing, here’s my reporter’s recap and reflections.

How remarkable is it that Joe Kennedy and his colleagues are still on the job long after their official retirement?

In this time of defunded police budgets, criminal investigators need all the help they can get. Otherwise, we are all on our own.

Fortunately, there is a dedicated group at the Cold Case Coalition willing to serve good over evil.

You’ve been listening to the True Crime Reporter Podcast: Stay True. Stay Safe. And Stay Tuned for more stories from inside the crime scene tape.

This is Robert Riggs Reporting.