WHAT WE
LEARNED
For the duration of time when the SIP project was operating, there were two
very significant distinct synergetic operations in progress, Dispatch
operations and Deployment operations
1) Dispatch Operations
Dispatchers monitored the MUFON CMS
website data and reviewed all incoming sighting report cases. Most
important in this effort was the review
of all incoming sighting report case data and the categorization of the
case reports based on specially developed criteria.
The "one thing" that was most significant about the SIP project would
have to be the Dispatch Operation. We didn't completely realize this at
first, but as time passed we were able to work together looking at
sighting report data, coming in from all over the United States, through a
single point of reference. While focusing on significant aspects of cases and
the culmination of similar
occurrences, we were seeing some interesting conclusions starting to
materialize.
Particularly significant was the
centralized effort in the surveillance of the incoming data as well as the
scope of observation (looking at the whole Northern Hemisphere around the United States)
which was highly significant and yielded very useful information.
A good example of this can be seen in
this excerpt from a typical Dispatch report, about a series of events that
occurred over a very busy 4th of July Holiday
in 2009.
A Series of Events Occurred in
Pennsylvania, Indiana and California during the 4th of July weekend that could
be of high Significance (total 38 Reports) MUFON Dispatch verified contact
information and details of the reported events and is currently monitoring for
developing information.
Ø Noteworthy Details: numerous witnesses reports coming into CMS describing Bright Orange balls, Red Orange and Amber lights, these reports were selected because they are very similar in nature as described in witness report narratives.
· PENSYLVANIA - 12 Cases: in Bucks County, Beaver County, Delaware County, Luzerne County, Lawrence County, Lebanon County, Northampton County
· INDIANA - 11 Cases: all describe almost the same object (4 more case have been reported to the local state that are not in CMS yet)
· SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - 11 Cases: in Los Angeles and San Bernardino
Prior to the SIP project the MUFON data (CMS) was viewed from the local
prospective of each respective state director or chief investigator. They
typically had access to only the cases that originated in their state.
Look at this same concept from a
different angle. Take the example of a case report where a witness made a
statement something like this. "We
noticed the object bright in the night sky at a distance, but somehow its
maneuvers appeared to anticipate our thoughts" or "it appeared to react to my thoughts"
or "I noticed the object at a great
distance and as I became cognizant of it, suddenly it moved directly toward me
and instantly stopped almost right over my head"
Now put yourself in the shoes of the
investigator who was assigned this case last night and drove for 4 hours to
meet this woman. The Witness tells you her story in very sincere
terms, she has a good job and seems credible with nothing to gain and
everything to lose, if her employer hears of this. She takes you out to the
pasture, and shows you where she witnessed this event. You check the local
police reports, local newspapers, internet reports and interview the neighbors,
looking for anything to corroborate the her story and come up with absolutely
nothing. Driving home you think to yourself that well perhaps you did not have
much of a case to start with, no physical evidence as such.
Looking at post SIP Project dispatch
data and culmination of similar occurrences, particularly in light of the
concepts in the "6-layer model" outlined in the Vallee Davis
whitepaper, the consensus of thinking becomes much different.
Take the case and point above, words
like "it appeared to anticipate my
thoughts" or "it
appeared to react to my thoughts" have been articulated in
hundreds of witness sighting reports. Those exact words are articulated in at
least 50 sighting reports, which says something about the event and the
possibility that the witness may have been stating what actually happened. Not
only that, but what are the long term social effects on this person's life from
an encounter like this? (in the upcoming blog article about Investigation,
there are several sections devoted to the "6-layer model"
outlined in the Vallee Davis whitepaper)
One final thought about Dispatch and CMS. We learned
how powerful CMS is in term of the scope of sighting reports and reliability of
information, for example:
Sunday Morning 9-20-09 MUFON Dispatch received approximately 70 sighting
reports (during the overnight) describing a similar object and event. Witness
descriptions were very similar and reports came in from Virginia
to Nova Scotia:
§ Witnesses generally reported a Bright Ball like light
§ with a Cone shaped light coming from it, shining down to earth (also referred to as flood light and flash light beam)
§ Generally observed for about 30 seconds
§ Sighting reports timed the event from 1945 hrs to 2010 hours EST
§ Object reported to be high in the sky, general area where jets normally fly
§ Some Witnesses reported that they could see a triangular shaped object in front of the light coming down to earth.
Note: There was a scheduled Rocket launch at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center`s Wallops Flight Facility, located on Virginia`s Eastern Shore. The time of the launch is consistent with the times of the multiple sighting reports coming into CMS. Associated Press Article - NASA launches rocket, dozens report strange lights
(AP) – 12
hours ago WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — NASA says it successfully launched a rocket in
Virginia as part of an experiment, and the blast may have caused dozens of
people to report seeing strange lights in the sky. About the time of the
launch, dozens of people in the Northeast started calling local television
stations to report seeing strange lights.
CMS is an excellent and very powerful reference source that records what the
public is seeing (or not seeing) in the sky over the United States.
2) Deployment operations
Significant cases that fit very
carefully developed criteria for the project, were vetted and reviewed for
possible deployment of a rapid response investigative team. In the context of
this article, "Deployment" is defined as the operational process of
putting an investigator or team of investigators at the scene of an event. This
includes the process of selection (who is going to work on the case), the SOP
(standard operating procedure) for the deployment, arranging transportation,
lodging, making equipment available, organizing support personal and the report
process. Deployment is expensive and requires funding to support an operations
staff in order to be facilitated effectively.
During the SIP project as indicated we
had a full time operations unit with personnel essentially on call almost 24/7
to make travel arrangements and ship equipment. We had a virtual schedule which
outlined accessibility of Investigators, both from a time availability
standpoint and geographic location. (you don't want to fly someone from California, to work a case in Virginia) and equipment (radiation
detection, video equipment etc.) that was packed in shipping cases for
immediate delivery to the location.
Throughout a deployment things happen
very quickly and you have to be organized, well prepared in advance and have an
SOP in effect. There is relationship between the time that elapses, from
occurrence of an event to the time the investigator is on location, and
the quality of information that can be obtained and developed. The sooner an
investigator gets to the scene the more accurate the report is generally
going to be.
Confidentiality: The SIP project
investigators all signed a confidentiality agreement and agreed that while the
case was being investigated the elements of the case were to be kept
confidential. We didn't want a lot of internet traffic about a case (or our
witnesses) going on while we are interviewing and collecting evidence. This is
especially critical when dealing with anonymous witnesses or law enforcement
personnel who might be willing to help you, but do not want to be in the public
view.
An event concerning confidentiality
occurred at an airport. The following excerpt will provide some insight:
An Event Occurred in Louisville, Kentucky on the premises of Louisville International Airport.
Noteworthy details: MUFON Dispatch verified a report submitted by a ramp (cargo) employee at Louisville International Airport. The event occurred during daylight while witness was on duty at the airport. The witness heard ground radio traffic talking about a UFO, and about a 1/2 hour later witness sighted an object and described the following:
· a reflection as if someone had a mirror and was trying to signal you.
· it would flash then be dark and then the sun would catch it and flash again,
· it was about midway over the runway at this point, estimated altitude 600-1500 AGL
· As object came closer Witness could make out it was rotating and was a cylinder and then a diamond shape. As it spun horizontally and clockwise the cylinder shape would catch the sun and reflect, but the diamond shape was black.
· The speed of the rotation was about 4 times a minute
· Numerous airport personal sighted object including, several Airport Public Safety Officers (Emergency Police / Fire dual role Responders) who videotaped the object in flight over airport.
One might be thinking "It just doesn't get much better that this!" with multiple highly qualified observers at an airport including police, emergency responders and even video tape. . . . well . . . not exactly.. . what happened?
Behind the scenes (almost immediately) someone at MUFON filed a FOIA request with the FAA. A few days later, excited investigators who had contacted sources at the airport and made appointments to conduct interviews, were stopped dead in their tracks, as might be expected . . . suddenly no one would talk about it . . . like it never happened!
Lesson learned; Move fast, deploy quickly and maintain confidentially while the investigation is in progress. "you can get more done in the shadows, than you can in the spotlight".