Google Earth is, without a doubt, the most extensive satellite mapping service online which has proven highly useful for many professionals and users. Now, it would appear that images from Google Earth can also help the police. Oregon police recently arrested a man after Google Earth images revealed that he was growing illegal marijuana.
According to reports, Curtis W. Croft of Oregon was allowed to grow a certain amount of marijuana legally. However, word had it that Croft was growing far more than the allowed share and may possibly have been involved in selling it to others.
To investigate the matter, the Oregon police took help from someone rather unusual: Google Earth. The police looked up the Google Earth images for Croft’s land and discerned that he was growing a lot more than he had been legally entitled to. Once this violation was spotted, the police used an aircraft to verify that Croft had indeed planted many rows of marijuana in his property.
Croft was then arrested by the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement Team, indicted and released. The incident goes on to show that services such as Google Earth can be immensely beneficial for the police. Conventionally, it would have taken a significant chunk of police’s resources to get satellite mapping on the location. With Google Earth, though, it is possible to obtain the very same images with just a few clicks.
Courtesy: CNET
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