Editor's
Note: Learon Dalby serves as GIS Program Manager in the
Arkansas Geographic Information Office (AGIO). He recently
assisted law enforcement in a man-hunt. Below, he shares what
happened, the ways in which GIS was used, and questions and
lessons learned afterward.
The
Event
MID-MARCH,
2004: A man disappeared from his Alread residence in Van Buren
County, Arkansas. Law enforcement identified a suspect in the
days that followed. Events turned more serious when an officer
approached the suspect's property and was shot. For the next two
to three hours, law enforcement and medical personnel secured
the area and attempted to locate the officer. In the days to
follow, the Sheriff's Office, State Police, Game and Fish Law
Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms converged in the small town of Alread to
track down the suspect.
The
State Police contacted the Arkansas Geographic Information
Office (AGIO). The question was simple. Can GIS be used to help
in the manhunt? AGIO staff believed GIS would indeed be a useful
tool, although this was the first time GIS had been used in this
type of scenario in the state. Within two hours AGIO staff
packed hardware, software, and the best available geospatial
data, and I was
deployed to Alread.
This
part of Van Buren County is extremely rural and consists of
thick land cover, bluffs, caves, and remote valleys. The area
also lacks identifiable landmarks typically found in urban
areas. Law enforcement personnel responding to the incident were
not familiar with the area, and the landscape did not provide
much help. The lack of information regarding the location of the
downed officer, coupled with the dense remote area made locating
the injured officer difficult.
Initially
the GIS was set up in a small corner so that it was "out of
the way." As those at the incident command center looked
over my shoulder at the maps, the value of GIS became clear. The
incident commander requested the system be moved into a larger
area where it could be projected on a wall for all the
participating law enforcement entities to view at the same time.
Two
Worlds Collide:
GIS Technologies and Law Enforcement
AGIO
staff members do not have any formal training in law
enforcement. They routinely use GIS for various analysis and
understand the value of knowing the critical answer to the
question "where?" Law enforcement personnel were not
familiar with GIS. They did not know what type of data existed
or how it could be used in their analysis.
The
first thing I did was to establish a reference point, the
command post (Figure 1). The next step was to pepper the law
enforcement responders with questions. Their answers revealed
that most respondents did not have a good idea of where the
command post was relative to the victim's and suspects' houses.
By pulling up road centerlines and digital cadastre information
the responders gained perspective on the situation. Additional
geospatial data layers were added to enable responders to better
understand the terrain of the area (Figure 2).
As
the hours passed, decision makers began to better understand how
GIS could be used. They began to provide latitude and
longitude
coordinates gathered with GPS during exploration in the field. I
input the coordinates into the GIS. One of the chopper pilots
commented that, "Being able to capture coordinates and then
show the incident commander where an area of interest is
relative to everything else is critical."
I
could tell the responders and commanders were getting the hang
of what was possible. They began to ask questions such as,
"How many residences are within a two-mile distance of the
suspect's house?" (Figure 3)
Decision
makers made arrangements for each field team to carry GPS units
with them and report their coordinates. The coordinates were
input to the GIS and labeled with a time stamp. This process
enabled the Incident Commander to continually monitor the
location of the field teams and events. "Having the ability
to show assisting agencies an overview of the area and where
events have taken place is invaluable," he said later
(Figures 4 and 5).
Outcome
The
officer was found and the suspects were taken into custody a
week later by local law enforcement. My work in the field didn't
directly affect either event.
However,
since the Alread incident, I have had an opportunity to visit
with the Director of State Police. He has expressed an interest
in utilizing GIS technologies in future events. AGIO is working
to solidify a memorandum of understanding. The value of the GIS
was obvious. Additionally, the Alread incident once again
demonstrated the need for GIS to be part of the process and not
just an after thought.
Questions
Raised, Lessons Learned
Responding
to law enforcement events requires a complete GIS. A complete
GIS is composed of hardware, interoperable software, geospatial
data/ metadata, and trained GIS professionals. The complete GIS
is a powerful tool, but the system is only as strong as its
weakest component. How strong is your community's GIS? Below are
some points to consider.
Local
Data
The
best geospatial data (in this example road centerlines and
digital parcels) is created at the local level. Keeping that
geospatial data updated and maintained is critical. I was lucky
to have such up-to-date data to take to the field on such short
notice. The earth's landscape is continually changing. New roads
are being built, and properties are being sold. Current
information aids enables decision makers to make more informed
decisions (Figure 6).
A
little over a year ago the AGIO implemented two statewide
programs; the Arkansas Centerline File Program and the County
Assessor Mapping Program (coordinated with the Arkansas
Assessment Coordination Department) http:// www.gis.state.ar.us/Programs/Programs_
index.htm. Each of the programs is dependant on local data
creation. Fortunately, Van Buren County's 911 coordinator and
county assessor were participating in their respective programs.
David Briton, the 911 coordinator had provided the county's
centerline to the AGIO two months earlier. Prior to deploying,
Richie Pierce (AGIO staff member) contacted Trina Jones, in the
assessor's office, and downloaded the county assessor's
geospatial information.
Why
was that important? Decision makers at incident command were
basing their decisions on digital cadastre information that was
less than 24 hours old! I hope other GIS technicians have the
same type of access to data as I did to serve law enforcement.
Are local geospatial data resources being enabled with
appropriate funding (for hardware, software, people, data)?
"These maps could have assisted us in locating and
evacuating the downed officer in a more efficient manner,"
noted the Field Operations Captain who did not have access to
the data when it was needed.
You
Can Take it with You
I
packed up the best available data and took it out to the field
with me. I was glad I did. One cannot assume high speed Internet
connectivity will be a constant in our efforts to use technology
for decision-support. Unfortunately, numerous national, state,
and local Internet applications/initiatives are being built with
the assumption that the Internet will be available. The reality
is that events are not limited to population, boundaries, or
even high speed Internet connectivity. Has your community
considered alternative solutions to the Web for data sharing?
Keep
it Simple
Oftentimes,
simpler is better. The uses of the GIS described in this article
were not complex, but instead focused on overlaying a few
themes, panning and zooming, and posting GPS points.
Presentations of geospatial data are often overwhelming and
difficult for decision makers unfamiliar with GIS to process. In
fact, I could sense the comfort level when I pulled up a simple
scanned quad sheet (a digital raster graphic, DRG) to show the
responders. It was familiar and served as a great basemap for
them. Could 3D analysis, complex spatial analysis, remote
sensing, and other more advanced GIS processes have been used?
The answer is yes, but these may have distracted from the
mission at hand.
Use
GIS Early and Often
In
the age of homeland security, "other" uses may have
fallen to the background. Homeland security is often thought of
as a terrorist-related event. It is important that GIS systems
implemented for terrorist-related events be used in other ways:
to secure citizens in the city, county, state, economy, health,
planning, education, public safety, etc. to "secure the
homeland." Participating in these is critical, but smaller
scale events helps GIS staff learn to work with first responders
and law enforcement. It also helps those personnel appreciate
what geospatial technologies can bring to the table.
The
GIS should be part of the normal business process. Just like the
boots, suits, radios, and all the other tools, the GIS system is
a critical tool to responders. As used in the Alread manhunt,
GIS can assist responders and potentially save lives. GIS is a
resource tool that many are unaware of but can be useful in
emergency events such as these. Responders should not be sent to
a gunfight with a knife.
About
the Author
Learon Dalby serves as GIS Program Manager in the
Arkansas Geographic Information Office.
Visit
www.gis.state.ar.us for more information about the Arkansas
Geographic Information Office, Arkansas Centerline File Program,
and County Assessor Mapping Program.
These
organizations provided geospatial data contributions that
supported the incident:
-
David
Britton, Van Buren County E-911 Coordinator-Van Buren County
Centerlines (ACF data)
-
Trina
Jones, Van Buren County Assessor Mapping-Van Buren County
Parcel Mapping (CAMP data)
-
Dr.
Bob Weih, Director, Spatial Analysis Lab, UA Monticello-Hillshade
Digital Raster Graphics
-
Arkansas
Department of Education-K-12 Public Schools
-
Arkansas
State Land Information Board-Digital Ortho Photography
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