“Find the Pump”
What a 19th-Century Cholera Outbreak Can Teach Us About Modern Policing
In 1854, London was in the grip of a deadly cholera outbreak. People were dying in alarming numbers, and panic spread faster than the disease itself. The conventional wisdom of the time blamed “foul air” or miasma (highly unpleasant smells). But one man, Dr. John Snow, wasn’t convinced.
Rather than accept the prevailing narrative, Snow began gathering data, mapping deaths, and investigating cases.
What he discovered changed public health forever: the true source of the outbreak wasn’t the air, but a contaminated water pump on Broad Street. His remedy wasn’t more medicine - it was removing the pump handle.
This historical moment holds a powerful lesson for policing today: when faced with chaos, don’t just react - go upstream and find the source.
The Riverbank Dilemma: A Familiar Crisis
Imagine standing on the banks of a fast-moving river. One by one, drowning victims float past, pleading for help. You dive in to rescue one, then another, and another. Soon, you’re exhausted, barely making a dent.
Back in 2001, Sir John Stevens, then Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, used this analogy to explain the cycle police find themselves in. He asked, “Does the officer keep jumping in, or does someone finally walk upstream to see who’s throwing them in?”
Stevens’ conclusion: police too often operate like lifeguards, swimming from crisis to crisis in a disjointed, reactive way - without ever addressing the root causes.
Understanding the Problem Is the Beginning of the Solution
As former NYPD Deputy Commissioner and counter-terrorism expert John Miller put it, “Intelligence is about understanding problems, and really good intelligence is about doing something about those problems we understand.”
Like Dr. John Snow, police leaders today are faced with systems of complexity, where the real problems often lie hidden beneath the surface. To make lasting change, leaders need to move beyond symptoms and dig into the cause. That’s where real innovation begins.
Innovation That Changes the Game
Consider how modern mapping technology is now used to give first responders a common operating picture of schools and large public or private venues, many of which have changed significantly from their original blueprints.
In the past, responding officers to active shooter events often found themselves disoriented inside unfamiliar buildings at a time when every second - and every miscommunication - could mean the difference between life and death.
That changed with an idea from Michael Rodgers, a former Army Captain and West Point graduate. Drawing on his battlefield experience, Rodgers asked a critical question: If “gridded reference graphics” could help military teams navigate complex structures, coordinate movement under stress, and communicate precise locations in non-addressable environments, why couldn’t first responders use the same system for schools and critical infrastructure?
The result was the development of Critical Response Group’s (CRG) mapping technology. What began as a combat-proven concept has now been adapted and deployed across the country - used in schools, stadiums, office complexes, and more. It enables law enforcement and emergency personnel to plan, train, and respond more effectively through shared visual maps, integrated drills, and clear grid-based communication.
This is what happens when someone chooses to walk upstream - and brings others with them.
Walking Upstream: 5 Lessons for Police Leaders
We’re long past the point where arrest stats alone measure success. Crime prevention today demands strategic thinking and deeper partnerships. Here’s how modern law enforcement can walk upstream:
1. Recognize Problem-Solving Isn’t Always Intuitive
Policing often relies on the instincts of frontline officers, while strategic thinking gets lost in the bureaucracy.
Solution: Leadership must engage directly in collaborative problem-solving, making time for structured, high-level strategy sessions focused on data-driven insight.
2. Become an Educated Consumer of Technology
Growing up in New Jersey, I often heard Sy Syms’ – owner of a men’s clothing store - famous slogan: “An educated consumer is our best customer.” That wisdom applies here.
While police leaders don’t need to code, they must understand the problems they want to solve, so technologists can build tailored solutions. Technology should never be a solution in search of a problem.
3. Know Your Data Holdings
In the 2016 New York – New Jersey terrorism case of Ahmad Khan Rahimi, the clues were there: contact with local police, a valid security guard license, suspicious behavior.
But the dots weren’t connected.
Lesson: Agencies must know what data they hold and how it may relate to operational goals. If you don’t know what you have, you can’t act on it.
4. Visualize the Problem
Raw data is powerful - but visualized data is transformative. When police layer license plate reader data with gunfire detection data, patterns emerge. Suspects become visible.
Visual platforms like the one mentioned above by CRG show how emergency responders can coordinate in real time, visualizing a crisis inside and outside buildings. It’s not just about access to data - it’s about clarity.
5. Practice Relentless Follow-Up
Innovation without accountability fizzles. That’s why relentless follow-up matters.
Lt. Colonel Joe Brennan of the New Jersey State Police, now retired, created a statewide gun violence evaluation program rooted in one principle: follow-through drives success.
His formula: data drives analysis → analysis drives priorities → priorities drive operations, and relentless follow-up drives success!
The Power of Integrated Solutions
The New Jersey State Police and the Jersey City - Newark Urban Area Security Initiative proved what is possible when police and technologists collaborate. Over 15 years, their relationship with technologists developed BackTrace, a system that powers precision policing. It integrates gunshot detection, license plate readers, ballistics, incident reports, and more.
They didn’t wait for more drowning victims - they found the pump.
Conclusion: Don’t Just Swim - Look for the Source
When cholera ravaged London, Dr. John Snow didn’t run from house to house with medicine. He asked the hard question: Where is this really coming from?
His answer - remove the pump handle - did more to stop the spread than any treatment.
Today’s complex policing challenges demand a “John Snow mindset” - don’t just treat crime as a series of isolated incidents; trace it, understand it, and prevent it at the source.
At this juncture in history, we all recognize that we cannot arrest our way out of systemic crime. But we can invest in understanding, in innovation, and in collaboration that delivers sustainable solutions.
It begins with one question to ask yourself:
Are you ready to walk upstream and find the pump?
Great article on finding the pump Ray. This piece reminded me of retired Commander “Sid” Heal, a former LASD SEB tactical expert and Marine who truly exemplified that concept years ago.
Commander Heal developed an innovative technique for reading roof lines, vents, windows, and doors of residential structures to tactically diagram and map interior layouts during search warrant planning. This was long before CRG’s mapping technology existed. He taught us ATF SRT operators and numerous other law enforcement personnel how to analyze external architectural features to reverse-engineer accurate floor plans of homes and apartments.
His method was a game changer for warrant service - giving tactical teams reliable interior layouts before dynamic and covert entries, which significantly expedited operations and enhanced safety. By understanding how roof lines indicated interior walls, where vent systems connected rooms, and how window placement revealed room functions, operators could plan entries with much better intelligence about the target structure.
What made it even more valuable was that Commander Heal systematized this observational skill into a teachable methodology that he shared across multiple agencies and tactical units. He was recognized nationally for his expertise in police tactics and less lethal concepts.
He definitely found the pump with that innovation, turning what could have been intuitive observation into a force multiplier for tactical operations.
Commander Heal passed away in 2022. May he rest in peace.