BACKGROUND
Since the beginning of man, the effort of looking for lost persons has always been with us. This function, until recent times, has been a random issue. It has since developed into a more formal response and moved in many directions; in the military during combat, the Coast Guard for civilian response, the fire service into burning and collapsed structures, and the ever expanding volunteer world of lost persons search, from wilderness and evermore to the urban setting.
The issue for this commentary is the missing persons response, whether it is the lost child, the elderly wanderer, or any of the 23 plus missing person profiles that we have identified.
Where does the task of looking for the missing need to go? Where does the responsibility lie? How should we go about this effort? My personal thoughts are stated in the following White Paper. I dont claim that these suggestions are the final word, but I do feel that we need to look realistically at the needs to be done to advance the art/science and official umbrella for the search for the missing. It can be done if we take out the egos, politics and turf issues that seem to plague us. It is a law enforcement related issue, and one we need to solve.
Law Enforcement faces many new challenges in their effort to assume the responsibility of locating missing persons. Methods and concepts of the past are no longer adequate. The pressures to be able to justify what was and more importantly what may not have been done in the task of looking for missing persons have increased greatly.
With some exceptions, the responsibility for looking for missing persons is a law enforcement issue. This is true around the world. Here in the United States, many states have given this responsibility to the sheriff's department. Out west some departments have full-time deputies that perform this effort, supported by trained volunteer search teams. Other states, like Massachusetts and New Mexico, have established the State Police as the responsible agency, supported by trained volunteer search and rescue teams. But, it all starts at the local jurisdiction with the police department.
It is generally accepted that all missing person events have the potential to become crime scene investigations. Consequently, it is important to assure that those involved in the search function have knowledge, training and the capability of protecting the crime scene. Documentation and preservation of evidence must be absolute in the performance of those who are doing the physical searching and it must be performed from the very beginning.
CASE STUDY
A case in point would be the Casey Anthony event in Florida when the attorney for Casey Anthony, in the apparent murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony, called for the questioning of an those who took part in the search. The area near Casey's residence initially did not turn up any evidence or the body. The area was searched by numerous persons, including volunteers under the direction of EquuSearch from Texas. Some time later, little Caylee's body was found in a black garbage bag near her residence by a utility worker where previous searching was conducted. The reasoning behind the request was as the attorney stated, the body or any evidence was not located in the initial search when Casey was not incarcerated. When the body was found, she was in custody and therefore the body must have been placed there by someone else. The implication for volunteers and officials in charge could have serious
consequences, even to the point of placing the prosecutions case in serious jeopardy, with the possibility of having the case thrown out and having the potential suspect getting off free. Professionally trained personnel can help mitigate these types of situations. Ultimately, there were some other legal issues and the request was denied. Had this been allowed, it could have had far reaching consequences for the use of untrained volunteers. All searches must be treated as potential crime scenes and those performing the search must be trained and qualified for that purpose.
WHY THE NEED FOR TRAINED SEARCH PROFESSIONALS
A search for a missing person must provide a continuous dedicated search effort until either a solution or a justifiable reason for suspending a search is determined. Current national and international search protocols call for searching at night, in adverse terrain and even during certain levels of inclement weather. This is now acceptable and expected when trained professional search and rescue teams are used correctly.
PROFILING A SEARCH TOOL USED BY PROFESSIONALS
The FBI's elite serial crime unit, that included Special Agent John Douglas, was responsible for developing the task of profiling serial killers. He and his unit did this by studying the criminal mind through research and personal one-on-one interviews. This concept is one of the ways U.S. SARR has approached the understanding of what and or how persons wander or disappear.
To date, we have identified 23 different categories of missing persons. Each individual missing person's profile has particular traits that begin to unlock the mystery of what may have happened to the individual or where they may have gone. By studying and recording these behavioral differences, the professional search community can be more successful. To accomplish this capability takes years of specialized training, study and practice. Many cases have been resolved because of this very knowledge. Another critical element for successful profiling requires documentation and cataloging of details of each category so accurate statistics can be complied.
SEARCH PHILOSOPHY SEARCH IS AN EMERGENCY
The proper use of modem search strategy and tactics has many benefits. Many searches are determined to be false alarms. Consequently all events are considered as an unaccounted for person first until determined to be a missing person case. Every call must be considered as an emergency until proven otherwise. Good investigative methods can usually determine whether the event is a true missing person situation requiring an active search mission, this prevents unnecessary response and costly effort. This can be accomplished by a well-trained and experienced professional Intel Team (intelligence gathering team).
Search is an Emergency for this reason it is imperative to have the trained, unpaid professionals as an immediate first response. Valuable time and evidence lost must be taken into consideration.
THE USE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE IN THE SEARCH FUNCTION
Forensic means "applied to law" and entails a variety of enterprises from gathering and testing the evidence to "expert testimony" in a court of law. Keeping this in mind search professionals approach a missing person event as a potential criminal action and use the forensic concept to help locate, identify and preserve clues and information for any future need. Search is a combination of art and science that is determined by knowledge, training and experience. Its basic concept is "NO STONE UNTURNED."
Dr. Edmond Locard (1877-1966) a pioneer criminologist and professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Lyons, established a basic principal for forensics stating "EVERY CONTACT LEAVES A TRACE". This applies to the very core of a search mission. Quoting Dr. Zakaria Erinclioglu in his book "Every Contact Leaves A Trace" known as the Locard's Principle offers this explanation
"...every time a grasshopper jumps, the planet Earth is pushed in the opposite direction, but we may not be able to detect such a movement. By this I mean that Locard's Principle remains true, even if we cannot find a trace. The trace will be there, but the likelihood of our finding it will be limited by our abilities, our knowledge and the degree of refinement of the techniques and equipment at our disposal."
We, in the search community, adhere to this basic concept. We look for clues. When a person walks across the face of the earth, they leave thousands of clues as to the direction they travel. It is the challenge of professional search and rescue personnel to find those clues. The traces are there. The more a search team is capable, the more subtle clues can be discovered.
BENEFITS OF USING TRAINED PROFESSIONALS FOR THE SEARCH MISSION
Search Management Means a Professionally Run Search
The use of a trained management team is the core of a well-run search and rescue mission. Trained management teams utilize the NIMS concept in their structure. Basic standards of internationally accepted operational procedures are adhered to in formulating strategies. This requires search managers to have both experience and first hand knowledge of all types of SAR resources. Choosing the right resource to insert into the response is crucial. Random guessing and the use of massive volunteers without training can be of little consequence. Emotion overrules professionalism and jeopardizes the outcome of a search. Clues can be destroyed, successful opportunities lost.
Professional Search Management Means Accurate Documentation
Every aspect of a search function must be documented. This includes a record of all persons participating in the search, what clues have been discovered, witnesses, historical data, areas search and mapped, persons on each team and what they accomplished, what level of accuracy was achieved for each area searched, and any other data or information that may surface. If it isn't documented, it didn't happen! In today's environment, the potential for the event turning into a legal issue cannot be over emphasized. This is not a situation that is desirable for law enforcement.
Another Crucial Element An Effective Search and Rescue Professional Network
Professional search management planning requires a strong and readily available network of like professionals that can be infused into a search in a timely and effective manner. These professionals are capable of being inserted into a working system without disruption and conflicting effort. This is difficult and ineffectual when minimally or untrained volunteers are used.
Use of Other Than Search Trained Volunteers
There is still a place for certain types of minimally or untrained volunteers. An effective search, rescue and recovery system has a built-in mechanism and pre-plans that assure only the correct utilization of these volunteers will occur and no harm will be done. These types of volunteers have many limitations as to their value. Controlling them and assuring that no information is lost, no clues are destroyed and evidence is preserved is a very great concern for law enforcement. This can also drain trained resources needed directly in the search, having them expend their time and energies guiding the untrained volunteers.
What is needed is a universal SARR (Search, Rescue, Recovery), system. That is the purpose and goal of this paper. This has to be accomplished through legislation beginning at the state level, ultimately leading to a national system. U.S. SARR Corps has been researching, developing infrastructure and tactics for almost 4 decades, the basis of such a system are already in place.
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