In Crimetown’s podcast, “Cat and Mouse,” Brian Andrews, a Rhode Island Police Officer, spent years during the 1970s tailing master heist man, Tony Fiore. The podcast highlights how the chase to officially catch Fiore had revolutionized how our justice system fights against organized crime.
The main ideas that the podcaster seemed to want the audience to walk away with centered around the mile markers of Andrews’ attempts to catch Fiore. One of the major recurring themes focused on how Fiore always found ways to get out of trouble when he was clearly guilty.
Upon looking into Fiore, Andrews found that he was a difficult man to follow because he was “tail-conscious.” Meaning that while driving, he was aware of the cars around and behind him that might be trying to track his whereabouts.
The next main idea focused on how Fiore’s friend, Charles Kennedy, had not only once, but twice, been part of the reason that police efforts to capture Fiore were exposed. Kennedy had always been “wire-conscious,” meaning that he was always worried about his or Fiore’s phone calls being listened in on.
Due to Kennedy’s concerns, when an opportunity to set up the police came up, they took full advantage. After hearing a staged phone call by Fiore and Kennedy, the cops eager to charge Fiore and his conspirators with anything they thought they could prove, fell into the trap. Which gave Kennedy and Fiore confirmation that their phone lines had been tapped.
Something I learned from the podcast was that Andrews was the first police officer in Rhode Island to push for legal authorization to break into Andrews’ home and plant hidden microphones while no one was home in order to obtain relevant information that could put Fiore behind bars. Not only was I unaware that this was the first instance of this in Rhode Island but I also had no idea that with an overflow of evidence for probable cause, a police officer could legally place a microphone in your home without your knowledge.
After planting microphones in the home; Andrews rented out a second floor spot with a perfect view of Fiore’s front door.
The second time Kennedy intervened spiralled into the arrest and sentencing of Fiore. Kennedy, being worried about the police, requested to meet a street over from Fiore’s home; the very street where a brown dodge state police car was parked. Fiore, panicked, called a friend that suggested Fiore get everything in his home that could lead to a conviction, put it in his car, and get it out of his house. It was because of this conversation that his home was raided and he was arrested and then sentenced to ten years in prison.
The podcast worked well because it contained real dialogue of the people being discussed; allowing for their side of the story to be heard. Some improvements could be taking a moment at the beginning to give the listener some background and/or relevance to the story before diving in. I wish the podcast had included a tad bit more info on the crimes Fiore had committed and the type of group he was in. There wasn’t much of a focus on the individuals as people, simply sticking to the story of Andrews chasing Fiore.
As for my listening experience: I was in my boyfriend’s office with the windows open as the sun was setting and the temperature was dropping. I listened to the podcast on my computer while taking notes. More and more, I have found that it is difficult for me to focus on only listening to something.
