Boston Marathon Suspect Capture and Technology

First and foremost, kudos to all law enforcement officials involved in capturing the Boston Marathon suspect - local police forces, FBI, DEA, HS, ATF  - all of them. They captured the subject, alive and with no additional collateral damage. Their work was flawless. Technology certainly played its part - thermal imaging in the helicopter above, and most importantly, communications technology which has been honed post-9/11. The ability of teams to communicate in voices barely above a whisper, across platforms and with all other agencies involved, was critical to the success of the mission. The technology, though, did not take the place of human police work, or of human observation. Crowdsourced police work? To a limited degree - certainly the decision to post photos of the suspects led to helpful tips. But in the end, it was Mr. 67 Franklin Street who went outside, saw blood on his boat, went back inside and called police, that brought this mini-drama to an end. Human observation before heat-seeking infrared.