Cryptomundo » Searching for Sasquatch - Using Ideas from Law Enforcement Part II

Searching for Sasquatch - Using Ideas from Law Enforcement Part II

Posted by: John Kirk on October 12th, 2006

Part II

This is the second part of our series on how law enforcement techniques can help in cryptid investigations.

Preparing Yourself for the Investigation

You have received a report of an encounter with a sasquatch by an eyewitness. Optimally, you will have your team assembled, if not and you are just a single individual you can still apply these techniques to your investigation by being willing to carry out all aspects of the investigation. Before you even step out of your house you need to have certain items packed in your car and ready to assist you in your investigation.

I suggest you have the following.

a) A still camera, extra batteries and film.

b) A 16mm fim camera. this is the medium Roger Patterson used and look at what we have been able to learn about the anatomy of a female sasquatch from the detail 16mm filmis able to capture. If a 16mm camera is not available then use a video camera to record eyewitness interviews. This is better than a tape recorder as you will be able to analyze the body language of the witness as well as their testimony if you need to do so at a future time.

c) A tape recorder if you do not have a video camera to create a permanent record of your interview.

d) Ziploc bags for collecting evidence. The bags used by a number of law enforcement agencies I work with are no different from simple Ziploc bags that you buy from the supermarket. I would suggest you stick a decent size label on the bag so that you can record contents, location where the contents were collected, date and time and name of collector.

e) Glassine envelopes, paper bags and envelopes for DNA collection

f) Rubber gloves and tools such as tweezers, brushes and cotton swabs to collect tissue, hair and other bodily material.

g) Shoe covers to avoid bringing potential contaminants into the area.

h) Yellow caution tape. You have scene the type of caution tape that says: “Caution: Police Line Do Not Cross”. There are rolls of tape that you can buy that you can use to secure the area and the best is the type that says: Do not enter area may be hazardous. That will keep lookey-loos out of the area.

i) Track casting material. Many investigators use Plaster of Paris, but I would caution anyone who wants to use this medium to get proper training in this area as there are hazards associated with using this material. Consult with someone in the medical realm before using this. There are a number of alternatives that can be used for track casting purposes including products used in the dentistry business which are more expensive, but less dangerous than plaster of Paris.

j) Tape measures - at least two.

k) Adhesive tapes, duct, scotch, and masking tape. Good for picking up items.

l) Talcum powder.

m) Wooden pegs, string, marker flags, and plastic sheeting to cover the ground and protect it from rain and wind erosion.

n) Note pad, pen.

o) GPS unit

p) Filter mask for protection from germs and odours.

q) Stopwatch.

r) Fruit.

The Eyewitness Interview.

When interviewing the witness it is important to ascertain whether there is any sort of case at all. Unfortunately, we will live with the possibility of hoaxing and it is incumbent on us to realize this is a real possibility. There are self-serving, malicious, attention seeking, deluded and just plain devious people out there and we will have to ascertain whether the witness deserves attention.

One area overlooked by investigators is the witness preparation. Be up front and honest that you are investigating this as if this was a police investigation and that you will be thorough, painstaking and diligent about obtaining information from the witness. Make them feel at ease with you, but do not let them be too relaxed as witnesses who continue to have adrenalin flowing in their systems tend to have better senses of recall.

Every attempt should be made to reach an interviewee as soon as possible after the incident has occurred. Long delays may result in the witness failing to recall important details that could help your investigation. Every effort should be made to meet the potential interviewee as soon as possible. Also suggest to them that they not read anything on the subject of sasquatch until after you have talked to them so that they are not tainted by other people’s descriptions of the animal or try to make their sighting conform to the experiences of others.

There are six principles every investigator has to abide by in questioning a witness and they are:

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

Why?

How?

For the sake of simplicity we will call sasquatch a “Who” not a what for our purposes.

1) Who – In this line of questioning it is imperative to ask the witness to describe the physical attributes of what they saw to the best of their recollection. A general appearance description should be solicited. This would involve height, colouring, weight, any unusual physical attributes, gender and odour.

The witness needs to estimate the distance between themselves and the sasquatch. There are tell-tale signs that things are not what they seem when a witness in a daylight sighting can tell you the colour of the sasquatch’s eyes and that it had teeth when they were 300 feet from the object. We must use logic and common sense in applying our investigation in an unbiased fashion. An objective investigator goes to a site with an open mind, but without the expectation that he will find anything. If one goes to a site with the expectation of finding something this may result in a lack of objectivity, so we must not be tainted by our own desires to solve the sasquatch enigma by projecting our own wants, expectations and desires on the scene. In reality we ought to be highly skeptical and allow real evidence to present itself to us and persuade us because it is self-evident.

If possible ask in grinding detail if the sasquatch had attributes you would expect of a human. No detail is too small to investigate. In many cases, sightings are brief and distant, but one must attempt to extract from the witness every ounce of recall.

Details to ask about include:

1) Height.

2) Weight.

3) Breadth at shoulders.

4) Arm to leg length ratios.

5) How much of the body was hair covered?

6) Could skin be seen anywhere?

7) Hair length on head and other parts of the body.

Teeth.

9) Nails on fingers and toes.

10) Opposability of the thumb.

11) Eye colour.

12) Hair colour.

13) Complexion.

14) Presence/Absence of features.

15) Gait. Normal or limp.

16) Any other movement observed.

To be continued.

Part I is available here on Cryptomundo.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 12th, 2006 at 7:17 am and is filed under Bigfoot, Cryptid Universe, Cryptozoology, Malaysian Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Skunk Apes, Yeti, Yowie. You can follow responses via our RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed.

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9 Responses to “Searching for Sasquatch - Using Ideas from Law Enforcement Part II”

mikew responds: October 12th, 2006 at 8:23 am
“but less dangerous than plaster of Paris.”

Can you show me a web site that states plaster of paris is dangerous?

I have also used dental grade alginate.

I have been using plaster of paris for several years, since it is a powder it should be used in well ventilated areas.

It used to contain asbestos. Is that what you referring to?

It is classed as a “Respirable Nuisance” and “HEALTH EFFECTS: Nuisance particulate (HE19)” on the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
cabochris responds: October 12th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
Oh, dare I say it? Should we add a weapon to the list? Really, I will not venture into the wild without at least a 45 on hip! Surely law enforcement would be armed?

Unfortunately we live in a crazy world today and Bigfoot might be the least of your self defense concerns! I’m thinking more on the lines of the hairless 2 legged variety. And even more so if you are a woman Sasquatch investigator!

Unfortunately in our world the lion and lamb are not best buddies! So to think you might never need a weapon while seeking Bigfoot, is somewhat like saying one would never need a seatbelt while in the car. You know what happens- it starts with an “S”!

But lets venture even deeper. What if you or your team do such a good job investigating Bigfoot, using police techniques and equipment, that you actually encounter this creature? Hopefully Bigfoot will retreat and hide. But none can say for certain that Bigfoot will not attack you.

Think this fantasy? Then I dare you to mingle with and pet bear cubs in the wild! Or swim with a Great White while out of the cage! Or play with the cute little baby Bigfoot you just found, tried to force feed a banana to, while trying to entice him/her into your rig and who is now screaming for Mama, perhaps even Papa! Once when in Africa our group came upon a feeding Black Rhino, just 30 feet away round the bush. Some wanted to get closer and bond with the beast, but our tracker stopped them from letting the rhino know we were in his house, and stated that he (tracker) was older now and could not run as fast as he once could! My point- when entering the home of Bigfoot be prepared.

Perhaps someone on your team simply gets too close trying to shake hands and Bigfoot turns nasty. Then what? How would you defend yourself?

Defensive weapons might include a very loud marine air horn, can of bear pepper spray, flare or perhaps even a good sized handheld mirror and other trinkets. Last ditch a short pump action fighting shotgun loaded with rifled slugs. That is what some use in Alaska while fishing round bears, just in case!
vjmurphy responds: October 12th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
For those folks using any sort of digital video equipment (digital cameras or camcorders), here’s a big tip: turn OFF any digital zoom capabilities. Using digital zoom is a bad, bad thing: it destroys information in the frame.

Optical zooms are fine, though, but please, don’t keep zooming in and out: find a comfortable medium zoom and keep to it.

If the creature is airborne, then make sure to get some reference points in the frame (really, that’s more for UFOs, but, hey, some cryptids have wings…)

Another tip: carry a tripod or some method to steady the camera: keep the camera on the tripod whenever possible. It’s easy to remove a camera FROM a tripod than attaching it to one.
joppa responds: October 12th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
And some good shoes/boots with good tread, you might have to run like H***.
skunkape_hunter responds: October 12th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
cabochris,
I agree, I do not go into the woods, or even fish here in Florida without a weapon. Not so much to defend against Skunkapes, but more for the common animals we have here. The gators, bears, panthers, snakes, and possible rabid animals make this a must.
wanderingwildebeest responds: October 13th, 2006 at 2:11 am
What about a pair of those binoculars that come equipped with a built in digital camera? Could help with those long distance photos - to reach out to somewhere you may not be able to physically go. Also a spotting scope might come in handy. Why fruit?
CamperGuy responds: October 13th, 2006 at 3:03 am
I would also suggest that the weather conditions and time of day be noted and if the observer noticed the bigfoot first or the other way around or possibly at the same time?

Why was the observer where they were at that time, were they or others usually there?
Rich Loam responds: October 13th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
I would also suggest that weather conditions may be such that rain gear is necessary, as well. Indeed, two sets of rain gear might be a good idea. Also an extra large tarp, duct tape, and a winch. I’m just sayin’, in case!
kittenz responds: October 14th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Don’t forget your cell phone (set to vibrate not ring), which could also have a camera and GPS capability. It would came in REAL handy if you happen to break a leg out there.

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