David Icove, the UL Professor of Practice in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the Tickle College of Engineering, recently addressed the concept of what motivates arsonists in an interview with North Carolina Public Radio.
“Vandalism, excitement, revenge, crime concealment, extremism or terrorism,” are the six factors most likely to motivate arsonists, Icove told WCQS.
“In one case we looked at, the arsonist—after successfully evading detection—started writing letters and calling the fire chief and taunting him, those are interesting types of cases that anecdotally provide much better insight into what’s happening.”
Icove, considered a world-wide expert in fire-related forensics, has been a frequent guest on national and regional shows in the wake of the devastating wildfires in East Tennessee and Western Carolina.
The full interview can be seen and heard here