NCJ Number
175312
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 23 Issue: 6 Dated: June 1998 Pages: 1-3
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) used its newly established Inmate Recovery Team to deal with the escape of an inmate from its minimum-security unit; the concept of an inmate recovery team was based on training in human tracking received in 1994 from the Tactical Tracking Operations School of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Abstract
Tactical Tracking Operations teaches both human tracking and the tactical skills needed to pursue potentially armed and dangerous criminals. WSP staff were initially skeptical about the concept of human tracking. However, their research revealed that 60 percent of escapees spent between 3 and 24 hours with a 20-mile radius of the institution before finding transportation away from the facility. Tracking team members gradually became proficient in the basics and then focused on simulated escape scenarios. They discovered the need to involve the community, because the community was their best source of intelligence. Another important aspect of the Inmate Recovery Team concept was the command and control system. Thus, the operation has three parts: tracking skills, command and control, and community involvement. These three approaches were used to capture the escaped inmate and continue to be part of the WSP escape response process. WSP has now offered its services to area police agencies and search-and-rescue efforts to increase its contribution to public safety.