In the inaugural episode of a multipart Zone 7 series focused on the 1996 Olympic Park bombing, CSI Sheryl McCollum interviews her longtime associate, Irv Brandt, who is a former Atlanta police officer and U.S. marshal.
Brandt was on duty when the explosion occurred in Centennial Park. He recounts aiding the injured, safeguarding bomb evidence, and witnessing the moment when security guard Richard Jewell transitioned from hero to suspect. The investigation ultimately pointed to Eric Rudolph, a domestic terrorist linked to several bombings.
Listeners will discover how frontline officers reacted in the initial minutes and what lessons continue to shape law enforcement practices today. Irv Brandt is a retired U.S. Marshal, a former Atlanta police officer, as well as a U.S. Navy veteran.
He served as an attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica and collaborated with Interpol and the Department of Justice, working on cases in over 50 countries.
He is the author of the Jack Solo crime fiction series and has appeared on America’s Most Wanted, Escape to Vegas, and Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
To learn more about Irv Brandt, find him on X @JackSoloAuthor
[Feature Photo: FILE – Visitors gather at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, the site of a deadly bombing on Saturday, July 27, 1996, shown here in a Wednesday, July 31 file photo. The bomb detonated at the base of the sound and light tower, left. On Monday, June 9, 1997, federal and state authorities held a news conference to provide an update on the investigations of the three Atlanta bombings and seek public support. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)]
