← All Episodes

Dec 17 2013

How Manhunts Work

34 min 7 movies discussed
Listen

When a suspect or prisoner goes on the lam there are plenty of ways to hide: in plain sight, in the mountains, in another country. There are as many types of ways law enforcement uses to track wanted people as their are ways to go on the lam, but there are some founding principles to carrying out a successful manhunt and they actually include you. Learn about how the fuzz tracks down fugitives and how it's evolving in the age of social media in this episode.

AI Summary

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating world of manhunts throughout history, exploring the tactics and strategies law enforcement uses to track down fugitives. They examine famous cases like James Earl Ray's escape after assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., the Boston Marathon bombing manhunt, and longer pursuits like the Unabomber's 18-year run from authorities. The hosts break down key manhunt principles including containment, public involvement, and the role of modern technology and social media in both helping and hindering these high-stakes searches.


Movies Discussed

Die Hard
Die Hard
1988 2h 12m
★ 7.8
"They're like from Die Hard. Yeah, and you see those things roll in — Josh compared armored police trucks to those seen in the Die Hard movie." — Josh
Hey Dude
Hey Dude
1989
★ 6.8
"On the podcast, Hey Dude, the 90s called David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show Hey Dude — This was mentioned in an advertisement break during the podcast."
L.A. Confidential
L.A. Confidential
1997 2h 18m
★ 7.8
"I've seen LAPD confidential. Yeah, exactly. That's in the 40s. — Chuck referenced this movie when discussing the LAPD's history of corruption allegations." — Chuck
Poltergeist
Poltergeist
1982 1h 54m
★ 7.2
"Do you remember AOL instant messenger and the dial up sound like poltergeist? — This was mentioned in an advertisement comparing dial-up internet sounds to the movie."
Predator
Predator
1987 1h 47m
★ 7.5
"And basically it was like predator. They're like, there's a guy in that boat because I see his red body breathing. — Josh compared the infrared imaging used to find the Boston Marathon bomber to the thermal vision in the movie Predator." — Josh
Thelma & Louise
Thelma & Louise
1991 2h 10m
★ 7.6
"have you not heard of Thelma and Louise? That's like the one thing. — Josh referenced this movie when discussing how women rarely go on the run like men do." — Josh
Zero Dark Thirty
Zero Dark Thirty
2012 2h 37m
★ 7.0
"Or obviously if it's something like UBL, then everyone seems your dark 30 or if you have it, you should — Josh mentioned this movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden when discussing large-scale manhunts." — Josh

💬 Comments

Log in to leave a comment.

No comments yet. Be the first!