I , as an ex-cop want to note a few things.

1. The task force has requested,and has been approved for, the use of special military planes, with extra perceptive sensing devices, for use in any pursuit or surviellence purposes by the police task force. While it has not been stated, it's my belief that these choppers will be coming from an experimental program run out of Ft. Belvior, in the southern portion of Fairfax County or a similar program in Texas. I also believe that this is one of those exceptions I wrote about, in the Posse Comitatus Act. There were several "experts" who wrote that it was a law, when I knew it as an enabling regulation, which can be invoked without Congressional permission at any point necessary. Yet the hysterical ones, claimed this was a movement by the Bush Administration to take over the nation. Bet nobody bitches now.

2. The snipers biggest mistake was killing anyone in Virginia (Spotsylvania Co., Fredericksburg, Manassas) but even more so in Fairfax County, which has the deserved reputation of being one of the finest Police Departments in the US. Moreover, the Fairfax Commonwealth Atty's Office is the most succesful in the State at obtaining death penalties, with the State being the second most succesful in actually putting it's criminals to death. If he is caught in Virginia, they will not extradite to Maryland (which has death penalty it has never used, or DC (which has no death penalty). Instead, once convicted, they will steadily march the perpetrator to his date with the needle, and then give the body to Maryland for trial.

3. Most sensitive comment: I have been concerned for days that no look-out has been issued for the individual. While every action taken by the sniper (long gun, one shot only, from a distance, sometimes from a natural growth position, at night and day, multiple racial targets, multiple locations separated by distance, etc.) has indicated to me that the killer has taken actions which are more likely to be associated with white males, than any other possible group, there has been no look-out for a specific individual. Yet there have been sightings, even from the folks who noted the vehicles involved. Note the tremendous amount of view glass in the windshields. Thus, while keeping all options open, I tend to suspect that the police suspect that this guy is not white, either through preliminary witness identifications, or physical evidence on the scene. While the release of information on unsolved crimes is always touchy, I hope that PC did not get some people killed, for the lack of a good look-out. And my guess (for what it's worth) is that his motivation is some form of the statement "I can do it too", coming back against the internalized feeling that "he is not good enough." [What actually transpires will tell the tale, and I could be all wrong, but there is no point in attempting an educated guess, if you don't do it before the case is solved].