LE tactics to catch EAR- The good and bad.

Also worth keeping in mind for other readers of this thread (which you already know, Nick), another problem catching EAR was the call didn't come in immediately after EAR left an attack scene.

During his usual lengthy attack, EAR would continually be in and out of rooms, then in the backyard, then back inside to threaten the victim(s) not to move - such that the victims, each confined to a single room and told to be quiet or be killed, didn't know if he had left for good or not. They usually waited a certain amount of time before deciding he'd left and they could move freely. He might have even left the scene for good, quietly, out a window in the house they didn't yet know had been opened with its screen removed, pre-attack - as opposed to leaving out the back door (which he also usually left open so he could leave quietly.)

After that, it took victims time to get the attention of a neighbor to call the police for them. Remember their own home phone lines had likely been cut by EAR - and they might have spent time trying to make the call themselves (either while still bound, or taking time to escape the bindings before attempting the call), before discovering their phone was down.  

All this bought time for EAR to escape far from the scene.

Certainly, as you say, he monitored police radios and gained experience of the typical length of time between his leaving - until he heard the first dispatch of police to the attack scene.

The cover the exits strategy would have worked great if it was a robbery that had just occurred but it was not.

There were rumors that Sac SO had a couple of deputies pose as normal citizens in the Rancho area in an attempt to lure EAR into attacking them in a home being rented by LE. I can confirm this did happen but there is not much in the way of documentation to prove it. I have got the information from a trusted source who was there in the time frame and confirmed they tried. The undercover Deputies even had the female spend time outside in the front yard of the residence attempting to lure EAR into an attack. The female Deputy was selected for her appearance they believed she was EAR's type. There was a belief one way EAR was selecting victims from a chance meeting or perhaps he was driving through an area in search of victims. My understanding is the Deputies lived and stayed in this home waiting unfortunately it did not work. I was told there were a few nights when noises and movement outside were detected and units were immediately dispatched to set up a perimeter and either JJD slipped away or he was not there in the first place. Like I said before in this text there is not much in regards to documentation all I have gained on this was from people who were there at the time.

Nick, do you know if any of SSO teams hunting EAR ever went radio silent - because they suspected EAR had a police radio, or some other reason?  That's what Visalia PD finally resorted to in hunting the Visalia Ransacker in Dec. 1975 - and it worked - that night they surprised the VR, but he escaped after shooting at his would-be-arrester, Det. McGowen. 

I spoke to a retired Deputy who relayed the following story. The Deputy we will call Vince and this takes place doing the 1976-77 time frame when the task force was created. Vince said his partner at that time became convinced he knew where EAR was going to strike next and convinced Vince to come along for the ride. This was in the same Rancho Cordova neighborhood as attacks #1,#3, and the others (just for reference). Vince found himself at a home that was on the market for sale and was vacant. The other Deputy had got a key to the residence from the Real Estate Agent and they entered the house and scouted out the area. The Deputy declared EAR will come through this backyard and he was convinced it would happen tonight. Vince just went along with it and really there was no harm in trying to catch EAR. They waited all night in the dark with the windows open and laying down on the carpet just off the sliding patio door which was also open. They had a few things happen during the long night when the neighborhood dogs started barking and they were able to the dogs from far away in turn other dogs closer to their location then started to bark. We all know how it ends they did not catch him and they did come back three more nights that also ended the same way.

I just called him and asked if an attack had occurred while they were in that house and he said no.  He also said he did not remember the exact time period other than it was "after the Sac PD case where Rodney Miller was shot but before the attack on Benny Way." He did not remember the dates so I told him it would have been between 2-17-77 and 3/18/77.  The Miller shooting was 2-17-77 and then attack #15 is the one I believe he is referring to so that actually helps narrow it down.  Vince did say they were not far from the Benny Way location but more importantly they were closer to Ellen brook Way which is where the bloodhounds tracked to after the attack. Vince also said he remembers they were at the house stake out (days or weeks) prior to the phone calls that dispatch received from the caller whom said he was the East side rapist. Again Vince did not remember the dates but he did remember those two events happening. There sure was a good chance it could have been JJD scouting the neighborhood when the dogs were barking but we will never know. I will say this attack #15 victim had reported hang up telephone calls a good 6 months prior to the attack so JJD may have already performed is stalking of this victim. Who knows it seems again JJD's luck saved him once more.

That was a great question and I would not have asked it without you so thank you.