Useful ideas for catching the beltway sniper?

[BiffSchneider]

Please post here useful ideas for catching the sniper.

Please DO NOT post speculation regarding motive or terrorism, discussions relating to the police handling of the case, or similar.

[BiffSchneider]

Someone suggested firing a flare gun into the air if there's another nighttime shooting.

The police released a statement a few days ago telling people how to be a good witness.

A TV commentator suggested forming citizen patrols.

What other practical techniques would you suggest? What are their upsides and downsides?

[Texaggie79]

Moose? That You?

[hispanarepublicana]

This would take some effort, but: sprinkle or aerially spray some type of identifying scent in the D.C. metro's wooded areas. Use dogs to follow it out of the next shooting site.

[RightWhale]

Everybody has a cell phone these days if they have a car. Two weapons right there. If I saw the crime go down and were in my car, I would ram the perps car if possible. Then call the cops on the cellphone. There should be a number for sniper sightings. A pro-active citizenry ought to be able to put an end to this.

[Cagey]

Someone suggested firing a flare gun into the air if there's another nighttime shooting.

You'll shoot your eye out.

[xsmommy]

Lmao!

[not-an-ostrich]

Insist on cash, not a transfer of funds and dust liberally with some of the leftover anthrax from last October. Are we giving out prizes?

[lelio]

I would put out an alert within 5 minutes of the next shooting telling everyone to pull over their cars and remain still. That should give the police some time to setup a roadblock like before and make it a little easier to find the guy.
Aside from that I'm not sure what can be done. He elludes police pretty well.

[stlrocket]

Get rid of that incompetent Chief Moose! Boris and Natasha could do a better job and would not spend as much time on TV NOT answering any questions.

He's so far over his head it's embarrassing.

Does anyone have a rational answer why the FBI has not taken over this nightmare? (Maybe they want to find the Anthrax Letter killers first - it's only been a year.)

[The KG9 Kid]

The infantry way to respond to a sniper is to declare the entire area where shots have been fired a 'free-fire' zone, meaning that anyone with a firearm can be engaged with lethal force.

Patrols are sent into the area hoping to locate the sniper's position. In the unlikely event that the patrol draws fire, the unit calls in artillery if the located sniper's position is outside of grenade-launcher range.

I doubt that this will be welcomed as a viable option in a suburban environment.

We're just going to have to wait until the sniper(s) make an illegal left-hand turn in front of a traffic cop.

[RAT Patrol]

Citizen patrols is an excellent idea. Yeah, it puts the citizens at risk, but they're at risk anyway. We cannot cower in fear.

Perhaps some media misinformation is another idea. Clearly, this guy listens to the press. Have those clowns set him up somehow. Put them to good use for a change.

[M. T. Cicero II]

If the reward was over $1M, I would consider going down there and try to catch the sniper. That said, I'll guess that there are people hunting for him now.

[Traffic_Can]

Nobody leaves the room. Number one son and I will remain here until the murderer is exposed, Preeez.

[lelio]

meaning that anyone with a firearm can be engaged with lethal force
I really doubt this guy is running off with his AR-15 in hand waving it around. He's probably broken it down, shoved it in a backpack and jumped into his car.

[martin_fierro]

HAW!

[Salvation]

He's so far over his head it's embarrassing.

I was embarrassed for him yesterday when he said something about the indeligence of the press.

I think he meant indulgence.

[pabianice]

Make Maryland and DC SHALL ISSUE.

[LibWhacker]

Well, since they're pulling all white guys out of their vans and trucks, and throwing them to the ground and handcuffing them, they may as well swab their hands for gun powder residue while they're at it.

[Alberta's Child]

Take several hundred well-equipped military or National Guard personnel with decent shooting skills and have them hunker down in a random assortment of wooded areas. Sooner or later the guy is going to show up in the wrong place.