The next frontier for catching a killer: prevalent surveillance, AI, drones

Cutting-edge technologies including state-of-the-art camera networks and facial recognition software powered by artificial intelligence are being used by police in the hunt for the brazen killer who shot dead United Healthcare boss Brian Thompson in broad daylight on 6th Avenue Wednesday.

They’re just a few of the cutting edge tools along with drones, DNA testing and GPS tracking the NYPD Has at its disposal — and some of these technologies having already proved invaluable in piecing together the moments before, during and after Thompson, 50, was executed on a city street.

Hotel surveillance cameras captured the still-at-large gunman waiting patiently outside the New York Hilton Midtown on W 54th St before he approached his target — the CEO of the healthcare giant, who was not accompanied by bodyguards — from behind and opened fire at close range just before 7am, killing Thompson.

A woman who witnessed the incident close-up can be seen running for her life before the killer appears to calmly leave the scene, sneak through an alley and ride away on an electric bike, disappearing into Central Park.

Since then the police have poured an incredible amount of resources into identifying the assassin and piecing together his movements before the brazen crime.

So far the network of surveillance cameras both operated by NYPD and private businesses have uncovered a smiling picture of the suspect at the HI New York City Hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave on the Upper West Side of Manhattan prior to the slaying.

Other footage showed the suspect and his partially hidden face inside a Starbucks near the crime scene, which he visited minutes before the shooting. Police have also collected shell casings from the scene and a phone which the killer left behind.

Here is how else technology is aiding police in the manhunt:

Facial recognition

The NYPD has a dedicated unit, known as the Facial Identification Section, which uses software to compare images from a crime scene or investigation with a database of known individuals, such as mugshots, pistol permit images, and gang member photos, Fox Business reports.

While facial recognition technology has come a long way in recent years, it’s not like in the movies, according to retired NYPD detective Herman Weisberg.

“This man was wearing a mask which could hinder facial recognition software because it recognizes points in the face and measures the distance between them,” Weisberg, who is now the Managing Director at private investigations agency Sage Intelligence, told The Post.

“The technology is there and fine in a controlled environment like a Las Vegas casino but it’s less effective on footage shot on a street in low light or bad weather.”

Pictures have emerged of the man who police claim is the killer smiling after having pulled his mask down in the hostel where he was staying. However, due to the angle of his head and the fact he was still wearing a hood, it may hamper analysis, sources said.

“As far as trailing someone with a grey hoodie and a backpack on a bike, the cameras are so voluminous that if you miss him on one block, you can find him on the next and start canvassing there.

“It’s painstaking, tedious work and not as easy as it looks…but the NYPD has become very good at utilising the public’s videos for a crime of this magnitude,” Weisberg added.

In 2019, the NYPD’s Facial Identification Section received 9,850 requests for comparison, according to their site.

Out of those requests, the unit identified 2,510 possible matches for suspects. This includes possible matches in 68 murders, 66 rapes, 277 felony assaults, 386 robberies and 525 grand larcenies.

Facial recognition technology is a valuable tool in solving crimes but it is not itself enough grounds for an arrest, and must be accompanied by policework, according to the NYPD.

Surveillance Footage

New York has an extensive system of cameras constantly monitoring the city which police can access.

The NYPD also leverages the Domain Awareness System, one of the world’s largest networks of cameras, license plate readers, and radiological sensors, designed to detect and prevent terrorist acts, but also of great value in criminal investigations, according to its site.

The system is reportedly made up of numerous physical and software components, including over 18,000 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

“The NYPD has their own security cameras, especially in midtown areas and subway stations where there is so much foot traffic. It’s a pretty impressive system with state-of-the-art technology that really gives them the advantage over typical store-front cameras,” Weisberg added.

“It’s come a long way compared to the old systems, you have really high definition cameras that pick up low light situations, and because they’re operated by the NYPD, they are designed and angled to detect crime and hopefully assist in hunting down people who flee the scene.”

Further to that, dash-cams and other cameras fitted to city owned trucks, buses, cars and, of course, officers themselves are also recording at any given time or place.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters police have been “pulling video from numerous locations, numerous sources” in their search for the suspect who was carrying a “distinctive grey backpack” .

With so many cameras in the city — including an abundance of security cameras operated by private businesses there is likely more footage of the suspect yet to emerge.

The NYPD is the most technologically advanced police department in the nation and one of the most advanced in the world, utilizing the most up-to-date technologies.

“There’s advancement of all the technology available, whether advanced photographs, resources in being able to retrieve fingerprints, any type of DNA, cell phone records, any technical aspects available today that were not available years ago that helps [investigators],” explained retired NYPD homicide detective Leonard Golino, who is now the owner of private agency, Gold Shield Elite investigations.

Golino explained that with so many video cameras on every New York City street, building, lobby and subway station, authorities have to narrow their search down.

“You need a starting point and [in this case] they have that – with the location and individual on camera, [investigators] then expand out to the area the subject passes through and follow that trajectory. From that point you canvass the area, see what cameras are there, then pull footage and try to match it to the suspect.”

GPS Tracking, ballistics and DNA testing

Law enforcement sources previously said the masked gunman used a silencer and appeared to be an experienced shooter as he pumped bullets into Thompson, of Minnesota, causing him to collapse on the pavement.

The gunman’s weapon jammed during the shooting, but the killer swiftly rectified the issue and continued firing as the CEO tried to crawl away, according to security footage.

“His ability to clear the jam is about as good as it gets,” Weisberg said.

“To have that clarity under that pressure means he kept a cool head and had ample training to clear jams. which every police and military person has and keeps in the back of their head.

“He’s definitely done some training at a shooting range at the very least.”

After gunning down Thompson, the suspect ran into an alleyway then jumped on an electric bike, which he rode north along Sixth Avenue into Central Park, where surveillance camera coverage is spotty, police said.

Police initially said the shooter rode into Central Park on a bicycle from the city’s bike-share program, CitiBike, but the program’s operator, Lyft, later confirmed the bike was not one of theirs.

Other pieces of evidence being examined include three live 9-millimeter rounds and three discharged casings recovered in front of the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue, where Thompson was set to host an investors’ conference that morning.

“The crime scene is a critical point at the initial stage of the investigation, especially when you’ve got ballistics that give you information about the weapon and footage that gives you direction of flight,” Golino said.

Police also said they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper from a trash can near the scene of the shooting believed to have been purchased by the suspect minutes before the shooting.

DNA evidence has been recovered from those items, sources said. A Starbucks coffee cup allegedly used by the shooter is also being processed for DNA evidence with results expected in days, according to sources.

Drones

While Central Park entrances and subway stations are fitted with surveillance cameras, there are many blindspots within the park.

That’s one reason drones are now used by the NYPD to conduct regular patrols in the area and, in some cases, respond to emergencies, such as searching for missing or wanted people.

Mayor Eric Adams and police officials last month announced the expansion of the city’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, which includes a fleet of 109 drones flown by roughly 60 police officers certified to operate them by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“The DFR program will deploy drones to assist with public safety calls, including searches for missing people, alerts from gunshot detection systems, robberies and grand larcenies, and other crimes in progress,” Adams said at a November press conference announcing the expanded program led by NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry.

“These drones [give] a live feed enabling [officers] to make initial scene assessments.”

All of the drones are controlled from a room at police headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

“Drones are less costly than helicopters when you’re looking for certain things,” Golino told The Post.

“There are different types – heat censored or ones that detect movements and can zoom in certain areas or to pick up the subject itself, or something they left behind. It helps the investigation and speeds it up, while giving an overall look of the area from above.”

However, alongside all the technology and advanced searching systems Golino and Weisberg agree there is no substitute for old fashioned police work, with boots on the ground, talking to people and gathering evidence.

“There are lots of pieces and elements to [a manhunt] like this – a lot goes into it.

“You just have to take it one step at a time,” Golino added.