On July 4, 1987, seven dangerous criminals escaped from the New Mexico Penitentiary. The rest of month turned out to be a terrifying one for the people in the surrounding area as these guys were slowly apprehended.
Somehow, one of the inmates obtained a gun. To this day (or at least the airing of the program) nobody still knows (or is talking) how that inmate got that gun. Anyway, when you add some luck to this situation (budget cuts eliminating a guard at a tower near where the guys escaped and an alarm malfunctioning), all seven were able to get out and scatter throughout the area, which wasn't far from Sante Fe.
Police then had three objectives: 1 - develop an investigative plan; 2 - develop a public notification plan and 3 - develop an apprehended plan. All of these had to be successful at once and timing was crucial.
The seven escapees were all violent criminals with long prison sentences. They included a four-time killer, a serial rapist-and killer, a former police officer turned armed robber and four other similar people. Obviously, an enormous manhunt ensued.
What the program mainly shows is all the background, tedious work the cops had to do to figure out what and where these guys might go. In other words, hours and hours were spent looking a backgrounds of these guys and where their relatives were located; who all the visitors were at jail, etc. Remember, they also were trying to find out who smuggled the gun in, so all inmates were interrogated. An interesting point was brought up concerning that matter. Each inmate had to be interviewed the exact amount of time (in this case, 20 minutes.) That was because these guys were watching and if they saw someone was being interviewed longer than others, they would figure he was ratting on them. So, for the safety of the men, everyone had to be treated the same, even if it meant cutting off an interview when you didn't want to.
I don't want to spoil what happened, how these guys were captured, so I'll end here with just one remark. One of the escaped prisoners kidnapped a family and that part was tense. Otherwise, the show as okay but not as dramatic as one would think given the premise.
Somehow, one of the inmates obtained a gun. To this day (or at least the airing of the program) nobody still knows (or is talking) how that inmate got that gun. Anyway, when you add some luck to this situation (budget cuts eliminating a guard at a tower near where the guys escaped and an alarm malfunctioning), all seven were able to get out and scatter throughout the area, which wasn't far from Sante Fe.
Police then had three objectives: 1 - develop an investigative plan; 2 - develop a public notification plan and 3 - develop an apprehended plan. All of these had to be successful at once and timing was crucial.
The seven escapees were all violent criminals with long prison sentences. They included a four-time killer, a serial rapist-and killer, a former police officer turned armed robber and four other similar people. Obviously, an enormous manhunt ensued.
What the program mainly shows is all the background, tedious work the cops had to do to figure out what and where these guys might go. In other words, hours and hours were spent looking a backgrounds of these guys and where their relatives were located; who all the visitors were at jail, etc. Remember, they also were trying to find out who smuggled the gun in, so all inmates were interrogated. An interesting point was brought up concerning that matter. Each inmate had to be interviewed the exact amount of time (in this case, 20 minutes.) That was because these guys were watching and if they saw someone was being interviewed longer than others, they would figure he was ratting on them. So, for the safety of the men, everyone had to be treated the same, even if it meant cutting off an interview when you didn't want to.
I don't want to spoil what happened, how these guys were captured, so I'll end here with just one remark. One of the escaped prisoners kidnapped a family and that part was tense. Otherwise, the show as okay but not as dramatic as one would think given the premise.