Monday, March 14, 2005
Atlanta Courthouse Murders - Questions About Search
1. Was the BOLO that was issued to the agencies in the Atlanta area also extended to Marta?
2. Once the perpetrator left the building, why were no roadblocks set up in concentric rings around the area?
3. Why wasn't the entire parking garage searched?
4. Why weren't all parking garages in the downtown area searched for the car or for signs of another carjacking?
5. Why weren't the security cameras in the parking garage immediately viewed to try and ascertain which way he left the lot and which direction he was travelling?
6. Once the car was determined not to have left the parking garage, were tracking dogs brought in to determine how the perpetrator might have left? If not, why not?
7. Why did it take several hours to determine that Nichols was the perpetrator of the assault in Buckhead at 10:40? What steps were taken once this was determined?
8. Have the surveillance cameras at Lenox Square been examined to determine if he was inside the mall?
9. Since he mentioned Lenox Square to Don O'Briants, was mall security notified of the BOLO?
10. Were the parking areas at Lenox searched for the car?
11. How could Nichols navigate the crowds around the Marta station and the extra security that was added for the SEC tournament and no one spotted him?
12. Were the officers that were on security for the SEC notified that this guy was in the area? If not, why not when that area was a target rich zone?
13. It has been reported that he was wearing a new hat, has it been determined where he acquired the item? Was it the mall?
14. It appears he may have gone directly to the mall and stayed until closing, why wasn't he spotted there?
15. Does Marta have the capacity to "live monitor" their cameras? Were they asked to with specific instructions about this individual?
16. Why didn't the Marta cameras pick up Nichols entering or exiting their stations?
17. Why was the coordination and search so poorly handled that all avenues for escape at all points were not explored before they were discarded for the Amber alert posting of the green Honda?
18. Why did no one consider the possibility of "red herrings" from a perp that had shown considerable intelligence in his flight?
19. Which search procedures would have been altered if the green Honda had been found earlier in the day? How much time and manpower was lost by missing this piece of evidence?
20. Why were the police so wedded to the theory that the perpetrator was in a vehicle, when they didn't verify his egress from the parking deck?
21. Since eyewitness reports are deemed usually unreliable, why do you continue to state you had no reason to look for anything other than the green Honda?
22. How could manpower have been redirected if it were known he was using Marta to travel?
23. Was any coordination of incident reports of crimes during that period done to see if a trail could be developed to trace his movements?
24. Where did Nichols get the money he offered to Ashley Smith?
25. All of the local interstates have live video feeds to the traffic center, why did you need to have groups of squad cars stationed on the interstates awaiting his arrival if you could spot him via the feeds?
Please feel free to add comments for more items that need to be answered about the search and apprehension of Nichols.
2. Once the perpetrator left the building, why were no roadblocks set up in concentric rings around the area?
3. Why wasn't the entire parking garage searched?
4. Why weren't all parking garages in the downtown area searched for the car or for signs of another carjacking?
5. Why weren't the security cameras in the parking garage immediately viewed to try and ascertain which way he left the lot and which direction he was travelling?
6. Once the car was determined not to have left the parking garage, were tracking dogs brought in to determine how the perpetrator might have left? If not, why not?
7. Why did it take several hours to determine that Nichols was the perpetrator of the assault in Buckhead at 10:40? What steps were taken once this was determined?
8. Have the surveillance cameras at Lenox Square been examined to determine if he was inside the mall?
9. Since he mentioned Lenox Square to Don O'Briants, was mall security notified of the BOLO?
10. Were the parking areas at Lenox searched for the car?
11. How could Nichols navigate the crowds around the Marta station and the extra security that was added for the SEC tournament and no one spotted him?
12. Were the officers that were on security for the SEC notified that this guy was in the area? If not, why not when that area was a target rich zone?
13. It has been reported that he was wearing a new hat, has it been determined where he acquired the item? Was it the mall?
14. It appears he may have gone directly to the mall and stayed until closing, why wasn't he spotted there?
15. Does Marta have the capacity to "live monitor" their cameras? Were they asked to with specific instructions about this individual?
16. Why didn't the Marta cameras pick up Nichols entering or exiting their stations?
17. Why was the coordination and search so poorly handled that all avenues for escape at all points were not explored before they were discarded for the Amber alert posting of the green Honda?
18. Why did no one consider the possibility of "red herrings" from a perp that had shown considerable intelligence in his flight?
19. Which search procedures would have been altered if the green Honda had been found earlier in the day? How much time and manpower was lost by missing this piece of evidence?
20. Why were the police so wedded to the theory that the perpetrator was in a vehicle, when they didn't verify his egress from the parking deck?
21. Since eyewitness reports are deemed usually unreliable, why do you continue to state you had no reason to look for anything other than the green Honda?
22. How could manpower have been redirected if it were known he was using Marta to travel?
23. Was any coordination of incident reports of crimes during that period done to see if a trail could be developed to trace his movements?
24. Where did Nichols get the money he offered to Ashley Smith?
25. All of the local interstates have live video feeds to the traffic center, why did you need to have groups of squad cars stationed on the interstates awaiting his arrival if you could spot him via the feeds?
Please feel free to add comments for more items that need to be answered about the search and apprehension of Nichols.
