Intelligent Search – Managing the Intelligence Process in the Search for Missing Persons

      The Intelligence Process of gathering information regarding the missing subject occurs during every search incident. We recognize intelligence information is used to build a subject profile; gather lists of people with firsthand knowledge of the missing subject that we want to talk to; and task investigators to research and mine information from various sources, like social media or cell phone data, to determine where to look and what to look for.

      However, during the initial stage of an active search for a missing person, intelligence gathering can be very daunting, chaotic, haphazard, or worse not initiated thus delaying the compiling of crucial information that could shorten the time it takes to locate the subject. In any other aspect of the search operation like ground searching or technical rope rescue we preplan, train, and develop processes to be more efficient.

      In this course the student will learn the intelligence process in the search for missing persons including but not limited to:

• An overview for those engaged in missing person investigations and what does law enforcement and search and rescue bring to the incident.

• What is intelligence and the process from gathering raw data, analysis to dissemination and integration (taking action). This includes the value of intelligence in a missing person incident as well as where it can fail.

• The searcher and planning data to obtain and the use of missing person questionnaires.

• The face-to-face interview including the setting, demeanor and whom to interview.

• Other types of interviews including post search, remote, in the field and door to door.

• Searching in the age of online social media.

• Crowdsourcing and the use of surveillance systems.

• Photo search: metadata EXIF.

• Cell phone forensics guide for search and rescue.

• International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers.

• Geolocation services: Web-based browser apps.

• Other current and future technologies.

• Prepare pre-plans for the gathering of intelligent information prior to a missing person incident.

• Developing decision trees.

• Developing lists of reflex tasks for the intelligence process.

• Developing algorithms for transitioning between the initial actions into multiple operational periods and eventually to the termination of search operations.

• Develop ongoing training curricula with the goal of creating efficiencies and hone the necessary skills to perform the intelligence gathering process.

Who Should Attend

The course is designed for the following types of personnel: Law enforcement, managers of emergency response organizations who have designated responsibilities from their organizations to function as the "on-scene manager" during a missing person incident, SAR Incident Commanders and key staff personnel who would like to enhance and expand their knowledge of Intelligence Management in the search for missing persons.

Course Length

This course is designed to be taught in either a 1-day (8-hours) or 2-day (16-hours). There is also an one half day (4 to 6-hours) add on Instructor Train the Trainer course available (see additional information at the bottom of the page)

The following details represent the prerequisites, textbook and the outline of the topics to be covered in the Intelligent Search Management (ISM) course

Prerequisites

The recommended prerequisites for ISM students to have taken prior to the start of the course:

·  Fundamentals of Search and Rescue and/or Advanced Search and Rescue courses,

·  Managing Lost Person Incidents (MLPI) (or equivalent),

·  Introduction to Incident Command (NIMS) IS-100 and

·  (NIMS) IS-200 series courses (or equivalent).

·  (NIMS) IS-300 series may be very helpful.

Textbook

As part of the workshop, participants will receive a copy of the book “Intelligent Search – Managing the Intelligence Process in the Search for Missing Persons” authored by Christopher Young, PhD

Instructor:

The instructor for this course will be Christopher S. Young, PhD, author of Intelligent Search – Managing the Intelligence Process in the Search for Missing Persons. (See attached biography)

 Introduction

·      An Overview for Those Engaged in Missing Person Investigations

·      What Is Intelligence?

o   Intelligence as a process

o   Intelligence as a product

o   Intelligence as an organization

o   Analogy of Intelligence

o   The value of Intelligence in a missing person incident

o   Where intelligence can fail

o   Intelligence skill set requirements

·      The Information to Obtain

o   Missing Person Questionnaire/Interview Form/Guideline (MPQ)

o   Further define searching and planning data

o   The initial missing person report

o   The hasty (or first on scene) interview

o   The in-depth profile interview

o   The follow up processing, analysis and dissemination

Part 1: The Classic Source of Information: Face to Face Interview

·      The Interviews

o   Types of interviews

o   The concept of compressed intimacy

o   Searching for a Witnesses to Interview

·      The Interviewers

o   Who should be the interviewer(s)

o   The interview process

o   Interviewing principles

o   Alternate Interviewers

·      The Interview Setting

o   Where should these interviews be conducted?

·      Family, Friends, and Psychological First Aid

o   Whom to interview

o   The emotions

o   The six-second rule

o   Interviewing children

o   Interviewing the parents of missing children

o   The interviewer as a family liaison

o   Psychological First Aid

Part 2: Other Types of Interviews

·      Post-Search Interviews

o   What information do we need to obtain from the MP once found?

o   How to apply this information for future MP investigations

·      Remote Interviewing

o   Phone techniques

o   Video chat applications and services

o   Documentation

·      In-the-Field Interviewing

o   Preparation

o   The Interviews

o   Missing Person Flyer

o   Documentation

o   Procedures and Tips for Effective Field Interviewing

·      Neighborhood Door-to-Door Canvasing and Interviewing

o   Who are the “unknown witnesses”?

o   Levels of thoroughness

o   Training

o   Urban interview log

·      Final Thoughts on Interviewing

o   Understanding Nonverbal Communication and Body Language

o   Investigative Challenges

o   The use of voice recording devices

o   How long will the interviews last

o   When is a good time to stop or interrupt the interview

o   Document, document, document

o   Interview practice

o   Summary of interviewing - Key elements of a successful interview process

Part 3: Other Investigation Tools and Sources of Information

·      Searching in the Age of Online Social Media

o   Use of the internet: Google searching a missing person’s name, Computer browser and histories

o   What is networking

o   Mining information from social media

o   What information to look for

o   Blogs, Comments, Friends, Status

o   Cyberbulling

o   Online Practices – Cyberbullying, catfishing, ghosting

o   Gaining access to their social media site(s)

o   Translating emoticons, texting abbreviations, etc.

·      Crowdsourcing and the Use of Surveillance Systems

o   What is crowdsourcing? Examples in SAR incidents and processing digital images

o   Surveillance or sentinel devices

o   Increasing the odds

o   Making your own surveillance videos using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

·      Photo Search: Metadata EXIF

o   What metadata is available in digital photographs, how to extract the metadata through various applications and software

·      Cell Phone Forensics Guide for Search and Rescue

o   The Search for the Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

o   The History of the Cell Phone in a Missing-Person Incident: The Kim Family Search in Oregan

o   So, What Is a Smartphone, and How Does It Work?

o   Cell Phone Communication Basics

o   Battery Considerations

o   The Cell Phone’s GPS

o   Enhanced 911 (E911) Workflow

o   Requesting Data from Cell Providers

o   What Data Should You Expect from the Cell Providers?

o   Determining Location from Transaction Records and scenario analysis

·      International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) Catchers

o   What are IMSI catchers and how can this equipment be used in MP search?

·      Geolocation Services: Web-Based Browser Apps

o   What are these services, and how do they work?

o   Browser-Based Geolocation Service

o   Android phones

o   Who are the providers of these services?

·      Other Technologies and Final Thoughts

o   Facial Recognition

o   Satellite Alert Devices

o   Final Thoughts

After Completion, an IMS student should be able to:

• Provided a foundation for both law enforcement and search and rescue personnel on where to obtain various types of data, and the methods of acquiring the data in a missing person incident.

• Defined the methods of managing the intelligence cycle of data collection, the analysis, and the dissemination of actionable knowledge as it applies specifically to a missing person incident.

• Provided examples of where the intelligence process can fail during a missing person incident and how to avoid the problems.

• Defined the roles and function of the Intelligence/Investigation section chief within the Incident Command System as it relates to a missing person incident.

• Defined the specific data/information to collect to meet the needs of the personnel searching in the field (searcher data) and those managing the search effort (planning data). This includes a complete and comprehensive Missing Person Questionnaire/Form/Guideline to be used to capture this data.

• Established in depth procedures on how to conduct face-to-face interviews, addressing the setting on where to conduct the interview as well as the demeanour of the interviewer.

• Provided an understanding of compressed intimacy between the interviewer and interviewee where trust and rapport are built. This can make or break an interview.

• Established who should be conducting the interview and what are the attributes that make a good interviewer in a missing person investigation.

• Established who should be interviewed and the different information that can be obtained from various sources (e.g., family, friends, co-workers, their supervisors, etc.). Recognizing that those closest to the missing person may have strong emotional ties, the interviewers may need to apply various forms of psychological first aid to help them cope with the stress.

• Defined additional interview sources and the specific procedure to use. This includes post-search interviews, remote interviewing, in-the-field interviewing, and neighborhood door-to-door canvasing.

• Defined other investigative tools and information sources proven useful in a missing person incident: mining online and social media data, the benefits of crowdsourcing and its usefulness in analysing information from sources like surveillance videos and those produced by unmanned aerial vehicles, how to extract metadata from digital photographs, cell phone forensics, how International Mobile Subscriber Identity catchers (IMSI) can be used, geolocation services, and other useful technologies.

      The Intelligent Search Management (ISM) Instructor Trainer Course is available upon request and is designed to teach the ISM course content to others. The course will go through the presentation material, handouts, and the process of conducting the classroom practice interviews. Instructors will also become more familiar with the text book. 

Who Should Attend

The course is designed for those currently engaged in teaching to law enforcement, managers of emergency response organizations who have designated responsibilities from their organizations to function as the "on-scene manager" during a missing person incident, SAR Incident Commanders and key staff personnel who would like to enhance and expand their knowledge of Intelligence Management in the search for missing persons.

Course Length 

This add on course is an one half day (4 to 6-hours) add to the full two-day Intelligent Search Management Course

Prerequisites

Successful completion of the two-day Intelligent Search Management Course:

Textbook

As part of the workshop, participants will receive a copy of the book “Intelligent Search – Managing the Intelligence Process in the Search for Missing Persons” authored by Christopher Young, PhD

Instructor Trainer:

The instructor trainer for this course will be Christopher S. Young, PhD, author of Intelligent Search – Managing the Intelligence Process in the Search for Missing Persons. (See attached biography)