Inside the Mind of BTK

Meeting BTK: An Exclusive Interview 333
begun either growing facial hair or shaving it off, losing weight or
putting it on, drinking more than usual, becoming more prone to arguments,
or experiencing difficulty falling asleep and then waking up in
the middle of the night and listening to late-night news. Perhaps he
would have been looking for a legitimate reason to leave town for short
periods, or his behavior might morph from appearing incredibly rigid
and overcontrolled to seeming sloppy, careless, and disorganized.
More than anything else, what the BTK case did was reinforce my
belief that the authorities need to supply information to the general
public the moment they’ve exhausted all logical leads. More often than
not, this can occur within a few days or sometimes within a few hours
of launching an investigation.
The key here, however, isn’t to release every bit of information
known about the UNSUB—merely certain telling, helpful bits. The
rest should be held back, lest the authorities be inundated with false
confessions from people looking for some sort of perverted notoriety.
Those select bits and pieces of the crime analysis that are released,
along with interviews with investigators and press releases, should be
distributed in piecemeal fashion. If no credible leads develop, the
information should be periodically rereleased, along with fliers about
the case, containing characteristics about the UNSUB.
Monetary rewards are another good idea. They seem to work best
when the informer can remain anonymous. The informer is given a
“code,” which is nothing more than an identifying number or a word,
when he or she supplies a possible lead or suspect name. Money will be
paid if there is an indictment, which tends to be more effective than saying
that payment will be “based on a conviction.” Because this approach
is designed purely for its “lead value,” it doesn’t require the informant
to testify in court, another incentive, as in most cases the person being
informed on is a family member, an associate from work, or a friend.
Another strong tool for law enforcement is the media. Although I’ve
often been in the minority, I’ve always believed that the press can serve
as a powerful ally of law enforcement. In many of the cases I worked on,
I attempted to develop a strong bond with investigative reporters in the
towns and cities where that particular crime had been perpetrated.
Unfortunately, even decades later, there are still some police
departments and other law enforcement agencies whose only comment
to the media is “No comment.” Big mistake. The media, if properly
managed, can be good friends to a criminal investigation.
In the case of BTK, I believe police might have been more effective
in their efforts to catch him if they’d played things a bit differently.