Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Before we jump into this prose, I believe a few thoughts on managing expectations are warranted. I have spent over 40 years of my professional life in law enforcement, various local, state, and federal, criminal investigations including homicides, and cold case reviews. I have also managed and led public safety, national security, and criminal intelligence organizations from mid-management to executive levels. So, as you would imagine, I do not presume to be an expert in the field of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) nor the world of cold case investigations or really much of anything else. Likewise, should anyone else hold themselves up as such be very dubious of their value to your investigation. As we work through the key topics of this chapter, you will quickly learn just how vast and deep the OSINT waters run and how utterly complex most cold case investigations can be. There is simply no way any one person or even small team can fully know, let alone leverage every source and tool available within the OSINT domain or within the realm of paradoxical investigations. With one exception on this last point, that of the case you have been stuck with and doggedly pursued.