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."