Suburban Critical Incident Team (SCIT) manhunt in the attempted homicide of two police officers.
- intrepidnetworks
- Feb 13, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 4
Challenge:
On Friday, November 6, 2020, at 0236hrs, the Waukesha County Suburban Critical Incident Team (SCIT) responded to a crime scene in the City of Delafield to search for a suspect in the attempted homicide of two police officers. The complexity of the operation was challenging due to the diverse areas adjacent to the crime scene, which included an interstate highway, a large commercial business complex, some residential neighborhoods, and dense wooded areas.
The search area was so immense that five tactical teams were required to conduct a thorough grid search to locate the suspect, who had fled on foot. These teams included: SCIT, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, Tactical Enforcement Unit, the City of Waukesha Police Department’s SWAT team, Milwaukee Police Department Tactical Enforcement Unit, and the Milwaukee FBI SWAT Team.
Each team had its armed response vehicle positioned in a central area of the assigned search area, with tactical operators on foot conducting a slow and organized search of the area.
Solution:
Utilizing the Intrepid Response software platform, the teams in the command post could track each operator and know their exact real-time location. Multiple individuals could quickly and effectively coordinate grid searches. Live location data was especially critical for operators searching the many thick, wooded areas who would not otherwise been able to provide the Command Post with accurate location without Intrepid Response.
Additionally, the other tactical team commanders were able to look at the Response map to see the precise location of SCIT operators during the search. The view benefited everyone in ensuring that all the tactical teams were searching at the same pace and keeping a consistent search line.
The ability for Operators to drop markers on the live map was critical. For example, a SCIT operator dropped a marker on the Intrepid Response map to provide a handgun’s magazine exact latitude/longitude found on the ground in a marshy area, simply and accurately directing investigators to the evidence for documentation and collection. This magazine was later determined to be dropped by the suspect while fleeing.
Benefit:
After an extensive search of the areas adjacent to the crime scene, the Waukesha PD SWAT Team honed in on the suspect location in the subdivision directly south of the commercial area that was under search. “The Team quickly moved tactical resources to that area and located the suspect hiding in the backyard.” The suspect was arrested without further incident.
