Manhunt: Boston Bombers

Filmmaker Miles O'Brien's PBS-aired NOVA documentary explores how significant high-tech advancements helped law enforcement with the apprehension of the Boston Marathon bombers. Although some of the tools featured here were not actually employed by local and federal investigators, Manhunt does offer an interesting overview of how high-definition video, facial-recognition software, bomb chemical analysis, cell phone GPS services, and infrared imagery are used to hunt down criminals. Part of the problem in the Boston case involved unsatisfactory video-surveillance coordination—since there was no connected municipal network of cameras, the data-gathering endeavor was slow, and the images that ultimately identified the suspected culprits were made with low-resolution cameras from stores along the street. Even worse, well-intended social media junkies at the bombing site posted every photograph and video they made, resulting in an overload of disorganized material that resulted in several innocent bystanders being slandered as potential bombers. But the most tragic element of the story was the fact that the FBI already had a file on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of the two accused siblings—but Tsarnaev's name was misspelled in the record, thereby delaying the speedy identification of his potential role. Offering an interesting look at the growing impact of advanced technology on solving crimes, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)