Introduction to Man Tracking

1. Introduction to Man Tracking Developed as part of the National Emergency Services Curriculum Project

2. General • Man-tracking allows a searcher to use visible search clues combined with a keen mind to locate a searcher • Takes a long time to master, and continual practice to maintain abilities • Not something to jump into overnight • Listen to the trained man tracker, and stay out of his or her way, and don’t damage evidence

3. Using Tracking Stick • Shoe Size • Stride Length • Marking clues • Walking into area • Drawings/Pictures • Step-by-Step Method

4. Track &Stride Length Measurements

5. Common Shoe Sole Patterns

6. Evidence Handling • Tag it • Mark who found the object, where it was found and the date and time found. Wear gloves so that the tag does not contaminate the evidence. • Bag it • Use a clean bag, such as a Zip-Loc. These can be especially helpful in that they often have areas to write on the bags so that a tag may nor be necessary in the field.

7. Evidence Handling Continued • Flag it • At a crash site or any other “crime scene” you will normally note parts with flags provided by investigating officers so that it is in the same place as it was found rather than potentially disturbing the scene unnecessarily. • If following a trail, try not to damage the trail.

8. Be Aware of Your Area • Look around and be careful where you step! You don’t want to ruin a track. • A bystander stepping on a track and destroying it is unfortunate. A searcher stepping on a track and ruining it is inexcusable • Use teams for safety. You can be so occupied searching for clues it is easy to loose a sense of your surroundings.

9. Man Tracking Tasks • Ground Team Member • O-0411: Conduct Individual Actions on Locating a Clue • Ground Team Leader • O-0421: Direct Team Actions On Locating a Clue • ACUT-0008: Report a Clue or Find

10. QUESTIONS? THINK SAFETY!