I have to disagree. They did not do everything they could. They did not use the right tool for the job. They know SAR teams exist and had us and another team on standby for over a day. What you don't know is someone from another team was there helping in ways other than searching, because he wasn't allowed to. He told them that he could have 40-50 searchers there within an hour. He was told that they have enough manpower, but thanks anyway. The offered a reward, but didn't take us off standby and deploy us??? I know what you are saying, but you have to know that this happens a lot. Ego and politics gets in the way of helping the lost person(s). Remember, finding people is all we do. We work very hard and are all volunteers. The police are paid and don't train like we do. Ask yourself why they drastically scaled down the search the night before at 6:30 pm? The official reason was 'darkness'. That's BS. They have to pay those 'searchers' overtime. We do not stop on account of darkness. We only stop when told to by the authorities.
Can local law enforcement be bureaucratic and inflexible? You bet. Is there a hesitancy to allow outside, volunteer agencies into police investigations and searches?
You bet. If this becomes a criminal investigation (and it may), then allowing self-described "SAR teams" into the area could compromise evidence, indictments, and possible a conviction by the DA. Don't believe me? Look what Jonnie Cochrain and his ilk did to an very professional, thorough, and legal investigation into the crime scene of the OJ double murder.
Thanks again for your efforts.