Ok, I get it. I understand that House, CSI, any other TV shows is far from reality. There would be very little crime, illness or unexplained death if real doctor and police had 1 case a week, infinite resources and could spend all the time in the world working out the puzzle of crime and life. However, does it have to be like the Keystone Cops here in Iowa City?

For the past two months women have been assaulted and raped in Iowa City. The numbers are way up from past years. The pattern is always the same and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. There seems to be three main suspect: A black man, late 20’s about 5’10 and 180 pounds; A group of two Hispanic men early twenties; and this clown picture here in a police drawing. Let’s talk about him: the white guy. (Aside: I’m not ignoring the other two I mention, but this guy seems more of a predator.)

His pattern seems always the same. On Iowa football home games wait until bar time and find an alone women, or drunken women walking home. It’s always near downtown and always at late night. All I have to go on is what the local media has reported, but I can piece some stuff together.

If he is only striking during home games, he might be out of town. He hopes to get lost in the 40,000 extra people that come for the game. If he wasn’t from in town I don’t think he would have enough control to not strike during the week or during away game days. He is in his late teens or early twenties. He probably hangs around the bars looking for Coed victims because the target density is high. I am sure he thinks this is all cheap trills, because I haven’t heard anything about the attacks being particular violent. That part is guesswork.

How hard can it be to catch this guy? The window has closed I believe because the Hawkeye’s just had there last home game. Unless this guy, is going to start again with the basketball season. The police are out of luck. Here is what I would do if I run the police department.

First, I’d check with Ames (Iowa State) and Cedar Falls (UNI) police and campus security, see if they have notice a similar pattern. Second, find some coed volunteers or some young undercover policewomen. Wire them with a microphones and cell phones. Let them wander around Iowa City downtown an hour before and two hours after bar time. The ladies can pretend to be drunk. Have a couple of plainclothes cops close by, but out of sight. When she gets attacked she kicks the crap out of the bad guy while getting backup. Problem over.

The great thing about this, you will also catch a butch of scumbags who prey on helpless women and work the drinking scene at the same time. If you don’t catch him, he probably be scared off by all the other arrests and publicity. Now isn’t this a better proactive solution than just watching the frat boys get drunk and making PAULA (Possession of Alcohol Under the Legal Age) bust?

I understand PAULA is important, but can’t the ICPD spare a couple of police on this?