Occult Crime: A Law Enforcement Primer

HolySmoke.org-- Occult - the word encourages a myriad of stereotypical images - the snaggle-toothed old hag casting evil spells, the evil heretics worshipping the dark forces of Satan or the hedonist Pagan reveling in nocturnal orgies. The contemporary strength of such stereotypes is the most effective rationale for providing law enforcers with a basic and accurate primer on occult practices as well as their widely misunderstood and diverse belief systems.

Indeed, any officer investigating an alleged occult crime must be armed with a clear definitional understanding of the occult and the wide range of occult activities currently practiced in the United States. He or she must also be able to make a clear distinction between the legal activities of occultists and any illegal crimes committed in conjunction with an occult ritual. Finally, as veteran "occult cop" of the San Francisco Police Department, Sandi Galiant adamantly insists, investigators must "shed their personal and religious prejudices when they deal with the occult" lest they tread upon the foundations of the First Amendment. (Gallant Interview with the author, April 3, 1989.)

These are no easy tasks in the face of widespread allegations about heinous occult crimes. This study was conceived and designed to simplify such tasks for the law enforcer by broadening his or her basic understanding of occult activity and occult crime; explaining the complex controversies that currently surround and confound law enforcement's jurisdiction over occult activity and occult crime; describing useful investigatory techniques shared by "occult cops" (the street jargon for law enforcement investigators of the occult) from departments across the nation; and suggesting a wide variety of resources that may be contacted for further assistance.

The Problem

If you ask the small but experienced group of occult investigators who have worked the occult crime beat throughout the 1980s, most will agree that both occult activity and occult crime are problems for law enforcers across the nation. But that is about all they will agree upon. Disagreement abounds over a myriad of issues surrounding the occult, the first and foremost being the extent of occult crime. Many law enforcers argue that occult criminal activity is widespread and warrants further law enforcement resources; others submit that while people perceive the existence of occult crime, in reality, very little is actually committed.

Thus, the real issue law enforcers must face today is not proving or disproving the extent of occult crime. Instead, law enforcers must deal with the fact that a growing segment of the American population perceives occult activity and occult crime are major problems in society, and this concerned public expects law enforcers To do something about it!" Like it or not, law enforcers will increasingly be drawn into the world of the occult.

What really matters, then, is this perception, this fear that the occult and its various legal and illegal activities have permeated the nation and threaten our social, emotional and spiritual foundations. We need to examine these perceptions by historically and contemporarily defining occult activity, drawing careful distinctions between occult activity and occult crime, learning what motivates some people to become involved in the occult and some occultists to enter the world of criminality, and comprehending the controversies surrounding this emotional topic. Once these perceptions are dissected and understood, law enforcers will have a clearer idea of their roles in relation to occult activity and crime.