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Noah Remnick writes in the NYT that as the clock ticks on Richard Matt and David Sweat who escaped from maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility last weekend, experts say the two escaped killers are increasingly likely to evade capture for a substantial period. "A lot of escapes are spontaneous and the guys get tripped up because they don't know where to go," says Terry Pelz. "These guys know where to go. Most guys get caught after a few hours because they don't have a plan. These guys planned their escape and planned it well, so it could take much longer to catch them." Experts say there are some cardinal rules for living off the grid. "Your first priority is finding a secure place and a source of money," says Darrin Giglio. "You don't want anything traceable, so you'll either have to establish a new identity or get paid off the books, maybe as a day laborer."
Cellphone, credit cards, and surveillance cameras have added new layers of complication and possibility for both fugitives and law enforcement. "If they're smart, fugitives can really take advantage of technology," says Frank Ahearn, a New York-based skip-tracer turned skip-maker and author of "How to Disappear". "They can buy prepaid cellphones and credit cards. Their apartments, cars and bank accounts can be set up under anonymous corporations. They can live almost entirely virtually. That wasn't possible in the past." To combat such trickery, police departments have access to increasingly sophisticated and far-reaching forms of search and surveillance. "It's easier than ever to comb through enormous amounts of data. And with surveillance cameras all over the place, the only way to avoid detection might be changing appearance. Some people even get plastic surgery," says Giglio. "It's like being in the witness protection program. To be successful, you have to give up your entire past. Most people can't do that." Under such agonizing circumstances, there is no shortage of ways to blunder. Escapees often return home or place phone calls to friends and family members, whom the police might be tracking. Other times it is an escapee's suspicious behavior that tips off bystanders. "A lot of inmates who are legitimately released encounter a confusing new life," says Pelz. "They don't know how to drive cars, use cellphones, use credit cards. They need to re-educate themselves. That can trip up escapees too. Even if it's a well-planned escape, people get sloppy."
Original Submission
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2015, @09:07PM
They haven't completely disappeared off the grid. It's only been a week and authorities don't know what assistance they've received on the outside, which could include transportation, housing, cash, you name it.
With hours of a head start, a vehicle, money, and maybe even keys to a cabin they could be in Canada, upstate New York, or anywhere in the North East. Being in a stocked hideout is not disappearing off the grid. The news coverage is certainly keeping them informed of the search for them.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2015, @09:18PM
> Being in a stocked hideout is not disappearing off the grid.
Huh? Sounds like a pretty clear application of the principle to me.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2015, @04:00PM
Hiding out in a house/cabin/whatever that someone else paid for, and someone else stocked with supplies, is not disappearing off the grid. Living on your own, using your own skills and assets, without the help of outsiders is living off the grid. These guys are just hiding out.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Friday June 12 2015, @09:51PM
They haven't completely disappeared off the grid. It's only been a week
Yeah, way too soon to be speculating on any of this nonsense.
In a week, they aren't setting up any shell corporations, and you can bet any place selling pre-paid phones are being checked. Who they gonna call? Jail Busters?
Sneaking into Canada isn't exactly easy anymore either.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by KGIII on Saturday June 13 2015, @02:32AM
Eh... They seem to think that they will show up in my area of the world. (NW Maine, near Canada - easy enough to cross into Canada without being anywhere near a Boarder Patrol Officer.) A county sheriff (no local police, I live in an unincorporated township known as a plantation) meandered by and told my neighbor that they should be on the lookout. They did not stop and talk to me or I was not home at the time and they declined to leave a card. I am well acquainted with this particular sheriff and am surprised he did not wait or return later. Maybe he secretly wants me to be killed and buried in a swamp?
Anyhow, it would be unwise for them to come here - not because I am mean but because they would be noticed pretty quickly as there are a total of six houses for about twenty five miles. There are two hunting camps. We would notice if someone moved in or if someone disappeared and was replaced by new people. I am not that kind of person so I have not applied much thought to this but it seems like going to a really unpopulated area is a bad choice and I am not sure why people would assume criminals would make that choice.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday June 13 2015, @02:52PM
They seem to think that they will show up in my area of the world. (NW Maine, near Canada - easy enough to cross into Canada without being anywhere near a Boarder Patrol Officer.)
Only in America does someone who lives so close to an international border not even know how to spell the word.
(Score: 1) by KGIII on Sunday June 14 2015, @08:27AM
D'oh! Thanks. I always get that one mashed up with the other. The worst part is, as you alluded to, I see the signs and the vehicles with the name emblazoned on it quite frequently. Yet, still, I type it out and my brain just refuses to do it properly. I frequently will type out border for someone staying with another person. I think that braincell is stuck.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."