Posted on 10/15/2002 11:01 PM Central by hoosierskypilot
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has approved deployment of an Army intelligence plane to aid federal and local law enforcement in the hunt for the Washington-area sniper, who claimed his latest victim, an FBI analyst, as she loaded her car at a Virginia mall Monday night.
NBC’s JIM MIKLASZEWSKI reported that the aircraft is the Airborne Reconnaissance Low, a DeHavilland DHC-7 equipped with advanced electronic and imagery sensors, including infrared.
The aircraft are based at Fort Bliss, Texas, and have been used primarily in the drug war in Latin America.
Authorities had considered using a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle but decided to have military pilots fly reconnaissance, a defense official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A main objective is to improve communication among investigators.
The help will be provided in a way meant to comply with the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that bans the military from domestic law enforcement. That means the military will relay data to law enforcement officials and will not decide on its own what targets to watch, the official said.
The Pentagon’s participation also could involve a system of sensors that could detect flashes of gunfire on the ground, the official said.
A U.S. intelligence official said intelligence agencies were not aware of any foreign connection to the snipers. “If we knew of any such links, we would inform the appropriate local authorities,” the official told NBC’s Robert Windrem.
Oct. 15 — The random nature of the sniper attacks has changed the pattern of lives and routines in the Washington area. NBC’s Robert Hager reports.
But without hard evidence about motive, investigators were hesitant to rule out any possibility, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said Tuesday.
"The Pentagon’s participation also could involve a system of sensors that could detect flashes of gunfire on the ground, the official said. "
Well, if the Governer wanted to ban gunfire to be able to easily pick up the snipers muzzle flash then he should also post police at every dang street corner so then when the feds finally determine that they infact did see gunfire then the info comes down the police chain of command and the police at the street corner can find out they they just missed the sniper by 20 minutes. also the sniper can defeat that strategy by firing his weapon from inside a vehicle...hmmm, isn't he already doing that?!? Someone please find the Governor a brain ... any brain will do really.