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." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman