Pubdate: Mon, 03 Apr 2006
Source: Metrowest Daily News (MA)
Copyright: 2006 MetroWest Daily News
Contact:  http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/619
Author: Theresa Freeman, Daily News Staff

WHERE'S THE DEAL?

Drug dealers better think twice about where they set up  shop now 
that MetroWest police departments are using  more sophisticated 
technology to enforce drug-free  school and park zones.

Some MetroWest towns say they are turning more  frequently to 
geographic information system (GIS)  mapping to help them determine 
whether a drug crime  happened too close to a school or park than 
allowed  under state law.

Using aerial photography combined with town data, GIS  maps can help 
prosecutors and defense attorneys put a  fine point on drug cases.

"We don't want to lose what we consider to be a viable  and powerful 
charge to not doing the basics," said  Framingham Police Lt. Paul 
Shastany. "Our preference is  to be as thorough and accurate as we can."

Ashland Town Planner Steve Kerlin is working to create  maps that 
depict the town's 12 school zones and six  park zones for the 
Middlesex district attorney's office  to keep on file, said Detective 
Greg Fawkes.

"We're not expected to walk off the distance before we  put the 
charge in. It's whatever is reasonable," said  Fawkes. "(The GIS map) 
is a necessity."

For example, Ashland Police had initially charged  Stephanie Marie 
Reesor, 25, and Kareem Jamal Taylor,  23, with possession of Class A, 
B and D drugs with  intent to distribute and possession within a 
school  zone when the two were arrested last June. The charge  was 
dropped during the case's discovery process after a  GIS map showed 
the incident at 27 Esty St. -- about  1,003 feet away from the 
William Pittaway School -- was  just outside of the drug-free zone, 
said Fawkes.

"A lot of people think of (a violation of) the school  zone as 
dealing drugs to kids," said Fawkes. "But  that's not my concern."

Kids could see the drug deal happening or pick up and  ingest some 
drugs mistakenly dropped during the deal,  Fawkes said. The potential 
for violence is also higher  in those areas, he said.

During the past two years, Kerlin said he has received  about five 
requests annually to create GIS maps to be  used as evidence in drug 
cases. Before that, he never  received a request for such a map, he said.

State law says anyone caught selling or distributing drugs within 
1,000 feet of an accredited preschool, Head Start facility (like a 
day care center), elementary, vocational or secondary school -- 
whether in session or not -- can be sent to state prison for anywhere 
from 2 1/2 to 15 years. They can also be fined between $1,000 and $10,000.

The same penalties apply to anyone caught selling drugs within 100 
feet of a public park or playground.

Marlborough's GIS Administrator Nathaniel Bowen said he has created 
13 maps in the past year to depict drug-free zones. The city's police 
and the district attorney's office have also used GIS maps recently 
to illustrate the facts of other cases including a murder and a 
drunken driving charge, he said.

"I think they're recognizing that GIS can help them prove their point 
a little better," said Bowen, who works in the Department of Public 
Works' engineering division.

Although he sometimes takes a ribbing for working in the "Department 
of Pretty Pictures," Bowen said GIS maps can show how information 
relates to other data.

Police officers and town officials use the maps to illustrate to a 
judge or jury facts such as where an officer was when a call came in 
or made a motor vehicle stop, or where a drug deal or an arrest happened.

"It's resulted in many convictions" in Framingham, said Shastany.

Officer Christopher Murtagh said he's created at least five GIS maps 
since September for use with Framingham drug cases. But the maps are 
used in many other ways to help the department identify crime "hot 
spots," said Murtagh, the department's crime analysis coordinator.

"We can pretty much saturate an area and look at any indicators we've 
generated in an investigation," said Shastany.

To get a specific measurement, police could walk a distance with a 
measurement roller or use a Lidar device, like a radar gun but with 
laser technology. Without those tools, a surveyor is a costly 
alternative for an exact measurement.

Framingham Police use aerial photography provided free, through a 
grant, from the Northeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory 
Council. The angled views, provided by the Pictometry brand oblique 
photography, showing buildings' designs, could also help police plan 
for special operations, said Shastany.

"It's a lot more safe for us. Instead of a chalk board or pin maps, 
we have real photos," said Shastany.

Town offices, usually planning and engineering, also rely more 
heavily on GIS maps to analyze parcels, zoning, tax classifications, 
streets and sewers, said Kerlin.

"It allows you to do things that just a plain piece of paper won't," 
said Kerlin. "The key, to me, is the interactive nature of the map."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman