Q. What are the benefits of tracking for civilians?

A. Besides the obvious recreational benefits of tracking with the family, tracking can, if you are an outdoorsman, make you a better hunter. Almost every race has in the past relied heavily on the ability to track simply to survive, not only to bring home the bacon, but to survive attacks by an enemy force. Other benefits include search and rescue operations, where tracking is always a critical skill in finding lost persons. Agriculture and conservation agencies are constantly observing animal habitat, vegetation, and livestock operations for subtle signs of deterioration, or improvement in range conditions. Very simply, tracking skills can increase ones observation, and overall awareness. Instead of walking through the bush in condition white, (complete and utter complacency), you see what there is to see. Once you are track aware, you will never look at a piece of ground the same way again.

Q. In the bomb search portion of your seminar, do you instruct students on how to disarm explosive devices?

A. I do not intend to teach anyone how to disarm and dispose of an explosive device, quite the opposite. Close associations with such items and an intimate knowledge of how they work are required to develop the necessary expertise to disarm any such device successfully. Because few police officers, or security professionals have the opportunity to develop such expertise, instruction is meant to inform the professional in what to do when a device is encountered. Excerpt from book, Bomb Search and Incident Planning.

Q. Do you allow the use of GPS in your tracking courses?

A. The answer is yes, however I encourage keeping track of the teams location, using map and navigation skills as a back up to modern technology. One example occurred a few years ago that illustrates my point perfectly. I was involved in conducting a tactical tracking course in West Virginia with a group of ATF agents who were using GPS technology to identify their location in the field. When asked to plot their location on a map without the aid of the GPS system, they found they were unable to perform this task, so having people on the team who know land navigation skills is useful as a backup.

Q. What are the physical standards for attending a tracking course?

A. The basic tracking course and the two day introductory course require that you be in reasonable shape. The biggest problem most students face is the altitude and heat during the summer months. If you have an active life style and enjoy the outdoors you will not have a problem with the basic or introductory course. These two courses concentrate on basic tracking and tend to limit the amount of physical stress. The last day of the basic five day course requires a five mile follow-up. The combat tracking course is considerably more advanced, and requires good physical conditioning. Again altitude and heat play a role. Proper preparation before the course is advisable. Long training days coupled with miles of tracking at altitude can degrade performance. The advanced courses train between 5000ft and 12000ft simulating real world conditions in Iraq, and Afghanistan. Most military personnel are in good shape, and have very little problem with any of the tracking courses.

Q. Another question frequently asked, is what if I lose the track, will I still be able to learn tracking?

A. It must also be recognized that in the process of learning any kind of tracking skills, that you will on occasion lose the spoor. Do not feel that you cannot learn tracking based on this fact alone. The reality is that even the best trackers in the world lose the spoor. If anyone attempts to tell you they have never lost spoor, they have not been tracking, period.
The trick is to pick up the spoor and continue the follow-up. This is what distinguishes the Wannabe from the professional tracker. Following the lost spoor protocols will allow you to find the spoor and continue the track.
Excerpt from the book Bomb Search and Incident Planning.

Q. Can you use tracking dogs and visual tracking techniques at the same time?

A. The answer is yes, however the dog must be highly trained to be effective. This also applies to the dog handler. Realistically, working K-9 without a trained visual tracker is a poor tactic. If a dog handler is inexperienced and not trained in visual tracking, he may not know when his K-9 is off track. An experienced tracker, who knows his K-9, will know if the dog is off track. Visual tracking skills provide a way for the handler to make a correction, and bring the K-9 on track. Very simply, the handler is a back up for the K-9, and should be visually tracking spoor while following the K-9.

Q. What are terrorist group profiles? And what is their value?

A. In order to understand the threats that face us, we must be presented with clear, concise information that is relevant. This assists us in several ways. First it presents a broader view of what is going on throughout the country. Profiles are also useful in identifying terrorist activity, and methods of operation. They also provide a barometer of how active a group has been, or how active it may become in the future. They provide a basis upon which one can make judgments, conclusions, and projections. Profiles provide a historical record of a particular group(s) upon which one can observe subtle evolutionary changes.
Law Enforcement and Security use many profiles as a method of researching a terror group at a glance. Basically profiles are similar to a rap sheet describing a particular criminal’s background in crime. Trainers often review profiles to provide realism in training, providing actual tactics and weapons by simulating a particular terrorist group.

Q. What valuable information does water, or power systems have that officers need to know?

A. The answer is quite simple. These are vital infrastructure nodes that are vulnerable to terrorism. As officers, you should have a basic understanding of these systems, and their vulnerabilities. Some of these systems may require risk assessments, and tactical site surveys to adequately protect them. Excerpts from the book, The New Terrorism for Law Enforcement

Q. Why tracking skills for snipers?

A. First, many military snipers have a variety of skills which make them ideal candidates for tracking. Military snipers are comfortable working in the field, and have developed bush craft skills, which call for keen observation of details. Tracking also involves patience, which professional snipers have developed into an art form. They have the ability to move toward an objective stealthily, using their camouflage to remain unobserved, and this high degree of persistence coupled with a disciplined approach to their craft create a unique combination of skills not found in many other military specialties.
Very simply tracking skills provide a wealth of hard to find information. Tracking provides immediate use intelligence, which can be acted on immediately. Imagine, as a sniper intersecting sign, which indicates an enemy shooter is in the same area you are working. This is information of value that you can use, and just as important, tracking skills enhance personal, and team security. Knowing how to properly interpret tracks on the ground will assist the team in avoiding unnecessary contact with the enemy, as well as planning, or altering an approach to the target. Properly interpreting tracks provides a picture of what is happening in a particular area.
Tracking for sniper teams is an intelligence multiplier, in that the team, because of their tracking skills becomes much more effective in the field. The intelligence realized from such operations is information of value they would not ordinarily have. In addition, snipers, which are highly skilled in tracking, present a real threat to the enemy. Trained teams, even if pursued by enemy forces are not just evading the enemy. Their skills in anti-tracking, and counter tracking can quickly demoralize, and confuse a pursuing force, buying time and distance for the team to safely evade.
This is an excerpt from my book, The New Terrorism for Law Enforcement






 

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