When a hiker goes missing, the public often pictures helicopters and grid searches. Former National Park Service protection ranger and author Andrea Lankford says the reality is more complicated and more human: one-person patrols hours from backup, perishable rope and medical skills, families living in limbo, and a growing ecosystem of online sleuths and volunteer searchers who sometimes find what agencies miss.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley speaks with Lankford about what “the thin green line” looks like in practice and what her investigation into three Pacific Crest Trail disappearances taught her about technology, teamwork and trust.

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