 | 22 Jun 08 |
I loved police shows growing up. I remember sitting glued every week to Adam-12 and how my heart would skip a bit when the dispatcher would announce, “All units on all frequencies standby. One-Adam-12 is in pursuit.” I sat enamored when Steve McGarrett of Hawaii-Five-O would ask Chin Ho or Danno to run a partial license plate. Remember every once in a while they’d flip to a shot of punched computer cards running along a conveyor belt? It would take days before they’d get anything back. Little did I know then that one day I would be in the midst of the world of law enforcement and that it would take me down some unusual career paths…
I feel like I’ve been at the PD forever, but it’s actually been a little over a decade. I had no idea when I joined the department as a civilian IT Manager that I’d be exposed to so much, get involved at the case level or be responsible for so many different things. When I write THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY series, I try to keep it real. Fun, because the Black Widows are fun gals, but real as far as how they interact with the police and each other, and how they use technology to fight crime. All those years in law enforcement had better be good for something, right?
Early on in my career, I was asked to assist the FBI in a child pedophile case. It was one of the more memorable cases I’ve been involved in because of the nasty content. This was years before the advent of digital photography and digital camcorders. This particular predator used a VHS camera to videotape the assaults on his victims. Because of the poor image quality, the FBI was having a tough time trying to identify the victims. I happen to have some expertise in this area, thus I was able to digitally enhance the photos of these young victims by correctly colorizing them and clearing up some blurriness. It was nasty stuff that I’ll probably never forget but when you sign on to work in law enforcement, no matter what job you have, you’d better have a pretty strong backbone and stomach. One of the first things we always ask in an interview, especially with a potential civilian employee who might not realize what they’re going to be exposed to, is “Can you handle reading the detailed interview of a child who has been sexually molested? Can you handle seeing pictures of dead bodies?” I can’t recall how many mangled bodies I’ve seen after all these years, but you get used to it. You have to.
After the FBI case, I was asked to try and recover files from a computer that was suspected of being stolen from a local restaurant. The thieves had not only deleted all the files, but completely reformatted the hard drive. If you have read THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY or SPUN TALES, you’ll know I always make a point of saying that deleted files are rarely deleted. I was quickly able to recover not only the restaurant’s menus, but their customer and supplier lists.
So began my infatuation with Cyber Crime. Since then, I’ve been called to testify as an “expert” witness in Court, provided technical assistance to our specialized Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, worked beside our undercover on-line investigator as she trolls the Internet posing as a young teen, stayed on top of all cyber crime cases, conducted years of research on every form of cyber crime out there; and done whatever I could in the private sector to keep my skills sharpened. I could write a book. Perhaps I will. In the meantime, I’ll let my Black Widows tell their stories of using technology to combat the bad guy and fight for all women who have been wronged – all while mixing up their unique blend of technology, humor, hot flashes, chocolate and of course…women’s intuition. Stay safe!
Bio: Felicia (pronounced Fa-lish-a) developed an early reputation for telling tales, particularly about her three older siblings. She apologizes profusely for any harmful intent this may have caused and was subsequently encouraged by her mother, a freelance writer, to put her overly active imagination to better use.
Felicia began writing stories and poems early on and completed her first novel by the time she graduated from high school. She subsequently joined her college paper and won the prestigious Scripps-Howard Foundation Journalism Scholarship based on her writing submissions. After obtaining a Bachelor’s in English Education, Felicia went on to become a teacher and in her educational career, was published numerous times for professional articles, but always felt compelled to return to the joy of writing fiction.
In 1998, Felicia left teaching to join a New England-based Police Department where she was first introduced to the fascinating world of computer forensics. She is a member of the New Hampshire Police Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Sisters In Crime, Scarlett Letters (Sisters in Crime – New England), Mystery Writers of America, and the International Association of Crime Writers.
Her love of writing never waned. Felicia was fortunate to obtain representation from the Jill Grosjean Literary Agency which resulted in a publishing contract for The Black Widow Agency Series with Midnight Ink Books. She has recently completed the second novel in The Black Widow Agency Series and is currently working on the third in addition to several other works. Felicia resides in New Hampshire with her two children and three dogs. She has a deep affection for her family, her friends, fine chocolates and well-spun tales.
© 2008 – 2009 Natalie R. Collins. All rights reserved.
Natalie R. Collins was born in Logan, Utah and attended the University of Utah. She worked for eleven years at The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah's largest daily newspaper, before leaving to devote more time to her family. During the ensuing years, she wrote five novels. She also worked for the 2001 and 2002 Sundance Film Festivals as an editor. Natalie is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America.
Subscribe to Posts 
Felicia, I had no idea that your work was so intense. I have even more respect for you now knowing that you can rise above your surroundings to do your job as well as you do. Nice job.
by Mare June 23rd, 2008 at 2:17 amMare
Have you ever been involved in thwarting any attempts to crack into the police database computers? I imagine they would hold a fount of information that would be very valuable to a certain brand of criminal, not to mention if records could be hacked and changed, it would be like a get out of jail free card.
by Pat Brown June 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 amYou got me with hot flashes and chocolate.
by Terry Odell June 23rd, 2008 at 5:51 amLurk more than I post at crimescenewriters and always appreciate the detailed information you share in your posts!
Thanks for the invitation to pop over here and learn even more!!
by Susanne June 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 amI remember those shows you mention, and also one in the ’80s that only lasted one season “Lady Blue” about a female cop always able to get the bad guys without mussing up her hair or her makeup. I’ve used the ladyblue moniker ever since for my CB handle and now IM handle.
I’ve always been interested in the forensic side – that one clue that finally puts all the clues into perspective and nails the criminal.
How can someone possibly answer the questions about reading a transcript, seeing an interview or seeing dead bodies if they’ve never done it before? I’d like to say I wouldn’t be able to hold back a reaction, but I’m sure I’d have one. But I also know if it was part of the job, I’d find a way to focus and get through it. But to say “Yeah, of course I can handle that stuff” seems somewhat callous, so I’m wondering what type of answer is appropriate in that situation.
-Lisa (a New England SinC sister)
by Lisa Haselton June 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 amYour work sounds fascinating, but I too have to say you totally sold me at hotflashes, chocolate, and women’s intuition.
by Cele June 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 amI am working on a novel and have a few question. Can you (1) explain how a Certified Ethical Hacker works(keeping their identity secret while hacking) and (2) help me decide the best way for a retired agent to transport information on a flash drive to France that would be accepted as creditable by the readers. He is trying to solve an old cyber-crime on his own, but knows his movements are monitored by the CIA.
by Johnny Ray June 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 amLuckily, I have not had the great privilege of hot flashes, but women’s intuition fueled by chocolate is my mantra..Nice blog Felicia – by the way, loved your second book!!! You rock.
by kristyn June 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 amFelicia,
Do you ever get negative vibes from the police side of your life regarding your writing?
Stephen
by Stephen D. Rogers June 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 amHi, Felicia, thanks for being our guest today! Your job sounds fascinating!!
by Karin June 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 amGreat blog, Felicia! I wish I had a fascinating job like you do! What did I do before I wrote a book? Uh, I wrote. LOL.
by Natalie June 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 amHey Felicia, great blog! Your jobs sound intriguing and heartbreaking at the same time. Thank you so much for being our guest today!
by Jen June 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 amThank you, one and all for all the comments. Mare, I appreciate it. Pat, to be honest, I’m more worried about someone losing a laptop or thumb drive that may have sensitive data on it, hence why everything critical is encrypted. Tere and Suzanne, thanks for the kind words. Hi, Lisa. It does sound callous to a degree but no one is immune to the emotions of this job. You just have to focus on being professional and the fact that something you do could help someone else. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. Cele, I’m sold on the chocolate, too. Johnny Ray, if you want to contact me off-blog, I can probably answer some of your questions. Kristyn, hugs back. Stephen, the PD knows about it. We’ll talk… Karin, Natalie and Jen, thanks so much for the invite. I’m having a blast. Keep ‘em coming…
Felicia
by Felicia Donovan June 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 amStephen, what about you? Any negative vibes from your PD? I have to say for the most part, the department has been very supportive – but the job still needs to get done, hence why I’m so late in replying to all of you.
by Felicia Donovan June 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 pmFabulous post! Thanks so much for being with MSW today.
I have always been fascinated by cyber crime as well. I’ve tackled the subject matter a bit in my NO EVIL series, and learned far more since. Most of it bad. My kids think the reason I don’t let them have a computer in their bedroom is because I don’t trust them; on the contrary I don’t trust all those sickos online.
I have a question that I am always asking myself, and I’m sure the readers here would be interested in your comments as well . . . since you are an expert in law enforcement and cyber crime in particular, how to you judge how much information and detail to put in our books? How do you balance what the “reader needs to know” with your too much (or too little.)?
by Allison June 23rd, 2008 at 1:45 pmGreat question, Allison, and I’m honored that you’re asking… You raise an excellent point about “how much info is too much?” Because I spend a lot of time on-line at sites that are specific to cyber crime, my take is that the criminals know plenty – the victims don’t know nearly enough. Therefore, I’m inclined to let the good guys in on the bad guys’ tricks. If I can educate one person (and I’ve had many readers write to me saying they never realized files were recoverable or their computer use leaves a trail), I’ve done my job.
Having spent a great deal of time with our on-line investigator doing her “Catch a Predator” thing, you are well-justified in your concerns for your children. There is NOTHING as effective as parental oversight when it comes to keeping our kids safe on-line. No software program, no security setting, no lectures about the dangers on-line can beat parents being aware and watching what their kids are doing when they’re on the Internet. And these days, that goes well beyond computers to cell phones and on-line gaming systems that have become the new predator’s playground…
by Felicia Donovan June 23rd, 2008 at 2:07 pmHaving just finished Hold Tight, Harlan Coben’s latest, the whole cyber thing is fascinating. And scary. I’m SO glad my kids are grown, and the Internet wasn’t a big thing when they were growing up.
by Terry Odell June 23rd, 2008 at 2:15 pmYou and me both, Terry.
The reality is that the rate of recidivism amongst sex offenders is extremely high. In my home state, the consenual age is 16, but these predators don’t want 16-year olds. They go on-line to find the most prepubescent children they can find because that is where their deviance lies. Sometimes they “groom” their young victims over time but I have watched solicitations happen in as little as five minutes.
Just two weeks ago, three major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) – Verizon Communications, Sprint Nextel and Time Warner Cable – agreed to block Internet newsgroups and websites that contain and disseminate child pornography. The agreement was the result of an investigation out of NY Gov. Cuomo’s office. Posing as customers, investigators made the ISPs aware of the kiddie porn and the fact that it violated the user agreement, but nothing was done about it. It was either agree to yank the child porn sites and shut them down or face charges of fraud and deceptive business practices…
by Felicia Donovan June 23rd, 2008 at 2:37 pmI believe our Sheriff’s Office has deputies devoted to finding these predators.
by Terry Odell June 23rd, 2008 at 2:43 pmFelicia, this has to be one of the smartest comments I’ve read:
Thank you! My son and I were just talking about a similiar thing regarding stalkers. So many young women innocently give out too much information, either in person or online, simply because they don’t know the risks.
I kept our computer in the family areas of the house with my three sons. NEVER in their rooms. Kids are too naive to fully undestand the risks. It’s a parents job to monitor what they are doing.
by Jen June 23rd, 2008 at 2:53 pmIn THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY, my main character, Katie Mahoney, had started up a forensic unit in her own PD (before she got fired for removing evidence that she knew was being used against an innocent person).
My own department has been on the cutting edge as part of the founding ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force. I’m proud to say that they’re an award-winning group of dedicated men and women who deal with a lot of horrendous material day in and day out to try and protect children and solve crimes. Unfortunately, there is never enough funding to dedicate as many investigators as are needed.
The thing I’ve noticed most in my last ten years in law enforcement is how pervasive cyber crime has become. Almost every type of crime seems to have a cyber component to it – text messaged threatening notes, on-line credit card fraud, cell phone calls that violate protective orders, social networking sites that depict crimes captured on digital cameras…
by Felicia Donovan June 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 pmJen, bless you for staying on top of your kids’ on-line activities and keeping them safe! It’s hard to do, I know, but you’re doing the right thing and I applaud you for that.
You and your son are absolutely correct about all of the information people put out there about themselves. That is called your “digital footprint” and some people leave a huge one.
On top of that, the Internet is largely archived through projects like The Wayback Machine (www.archive.org) so what you put out there stays in perpetuity. There’s no “taking back my words” once it’s on the WWW.
by Felicia Donovan June 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pmAnd Felicia makes a darn good brownie too, as I recall from a recent SINCNE meeting! Seriously, very impressive stuff…especially the Wayback machine. Was that from an old cartoon? That has got to be in a book…
by Rosemary Harris June 24th, 2008 at 4:47 amThanks, Rosemary! Those are my secret “Black Widow Brownies,” by the way. Yes, I’ve tested the Wayback Machine and found things I couldn’t believe. Very scary…
by Felicia Donovan June 24th, 2008 at 5:09 amEnjoyed your post, Felicia, and looking forward to your July presentation to our Sisters in Crime New England chapter!
by Pat Remick June 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm