Sometimes the most powerful lessons in justice come from the most unexpected places. In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum joins retired FBI agent Scott Duffey and retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone for the first-ever Wildlife CSI Academy at Pennsylvania's Lake Tobias Wildlife Park. Surrounded by giraffes, kangaroos, and a sloth named Chewy, they reflect on how working beside endangered animals reshaped their understanding of empathy, preparation, and teamwork. This heartfelt conversation reminds us that sometimes the best lessons in justice come from the wild.

Guest Bio and Links:

Joseph Giacalone is a retired NYPD Sergeant (SDS) and former Commanding Officer of the Bronx Cold Case Squad. He serves as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is the author of The Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators and The Cold Case Handbook. Giacalone also hosts True Crime with the Sarge and is a frequent media commentator on criminal investigations.

Scott Duffey is a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent who served more than two decades in the Bureau's Baltimore Division, including the Wilmington Resident Agency and the Delaware Violent Crimes Task Force. He now directs the Criminal Justice Institute at Wilmington University and continues to teach interview and interrogation techniques to law-enforcement professionals. Duffey also provides on-air crime analysis for FOX, CNN, and NewsNation

 

Highlights:

• (0:00) Sheryl welcomes Scott Duffey and Joseph Giacalone to Zone 7
• (1:00) A zoo like no other: first impressions of Lake Tobias Wildlife Park and the unique setting for CSI training
• (5:00) Television fact vs. Fiction: Joseph explains how collaboration really happens
• (5:45) Honoring Jane Goodall: fighting poaching through education, enforcement, and compassion
• (8:45) From cocktails to classrooms: The Hamptons Whodunit conversation that sparked the Wildlife CSI Academy
• (11:45) Animal cameos that stole the spotlight: Chester the kangaroo and Chewy the sloth
• (12:45) Finding common ground: why humor, empathy, and humanity are essential in every interview
• (16:00) "Hope is not a plan.” Joseph’s reminder that preparation beats wishful thinking every time
• (23:15) Wild encounters on safari: from bison to black panthers
• (25:15) Scott’s new friend: the monkey that steals cell phones
• (26:00) Joseph’s “Wine and Crime” talk on cold cases and community advocacy
• (31:30) Closing thoughts, Jane Goodall, and justice for all creatures

 

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, forensic and crime scene expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. She is the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a national collaboration that advances techniques for solving cold cases and assists families and law enforcement with unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnappings.

 

Social Links:

• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
• Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

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