Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Leverages Intrepid Response in Missing Person Search

The Challenge On August 29, 2024, at approximately 1:30 PM, Lieutenant Tom Valdez of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office received a Silver Alert for a missing person. The individual, unfamiliar with the area, had been dropped off near a wooded region with the family dog. Hours later, the dog returned home alone — an alarming sign that something had gone wrong. By the time the family contacted law enforcement, crucial time had already been lost, making the search even more urgent.

With a vast 4-mile-wide dense and rural terrain to cover and few leads beyond a single deer camera sighting, the search faced major challenges. After two days with no success, Lt. Valdez knew they had to expand operations and improve coordination across multiple agencies. The Solution Recognizing the need for real-time collaboration, Lt. Valdez enlisted the support of the neighboring Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and leveraged Intrepid Response to streamline the search effort. A Mutual Aid Channel was quickly created, allowing both agencies to operate under a shared common operating picture. Intrepid Response Key Capabilities Live Mapping & Breadcrumb TrackingTeams could mark completed areas and visually track search progress in real time.

Mutual Aid CoordinationAdditional agencies joined the operation and were able to immediately collaborate.

Digital Planning & Evidence MarkingOfficers identified critical areas on the Intrepid map, added markers for key findings, and optimized search strategies. Information was easily shared over the data channels.

“Had we not had Intrepid Response, we would have been stuck with paper maps and no way to visualize and keep track of our team’s locations or search coverage,” explained Lt. Valdez. “With Intrepid, I could draw search grids for everyone to see, monitor progress, and could watch the breadcrumbs to ensure every areas was properly covered.”

“Thanks to the capabilities of Intrepid Response, we were able to efficiently collect and analyze data, enabling our team to progress through each stage of the search with precision. The intelligence provided by the platform allowed us to keep track of the areas that had already been searched and identify those that still required attention as the case evolved. This level of organization and foresight was instrumental in our ability to plan and execute our search operations effectively,” said Lt. Valdez.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to Intrepid Networks for the support provided during our time of need. The customer support and Intrepid Response technology have made a lasting impact on our agency’s ability to carry out such investigations. On behalf of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, I want to thank Intrepid Networks for its unwavering commitment to assisting us in this critical mission.  We look forward to our continuing partnership with Intrepid Networks and utilizing Intrepid Response in future operations.” – Lt. Valdez

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