By K. Matak Baker Street Private Investigators Academy

To obtain evidence of a civil wrong. To locate persons To obtain evidence of a crime. To verify disability claim information. To develop leads. To develop information. To obtain a real time recording of activities. The American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) states: Broadly stated, a surveillance may serve to detect or prevent questionable or illicit acts, to obtain evidence of such acts, to help in identifying person, or to collect general intelligence information. Often surveillance may be conducted only in the hope of developing leads in a case if other efforts have been unproductive. *

PLANORGANIZEDIRECTCONTROL

The first step to success in anything, especially surveillance is to plan. You need to know: 1.What kind of case is this? 2.What type of surveillance is needed? 3.What location(s) could be involved? 4.How many parties could be involved? 5.Do you have the proper equipment or assistance? 6.What is the objective of the surveillance? 7.When will you do the surveillance? 8.Who is your client and what are their expectations?

Not enough can be said about being organized. On more than one occasion I have been caught on surveillance with a missing piece of equipment! By then it is too late to do anything about it- but it reduces your effectiveness completely. I recommend having a pre-packed surveillance bag and a checklist. Especially when you are new to the field and sometimes have to be able to move quickly. This will save you hours of stress and preparation time. Later during the course we will review equipment, types of equipment, and recording devices for report writing. As a private investigator -most often - you are working on your own – there is no backup, often no office support staff and always a budget and a deadline. Remember you are not a police officer – you are a private investigator.

WhoWhatWhereWhenHow YOU DIRECT YOU

Control of the surveillance is critical. The majority of surveillance operations are conducted by the individual investigator. The number of personnel used on an investigation is completely determined by the budget of the client. In B.C. There are two categories of licensing – regular and under supervision. An under supervision investigator must work with an experienced investigator. But it is important to remember that YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS. Today the subjects of investigations and your clients have access to many online sources of information. Never forget that you are in control of the investigation.

 Surveillance techniques and methods fall into two basic categories:  1. Stationary - the surveillance investigator is in a fixed location planted within or on a stakeout.  2. Moving – the surveillance investigator is moving by foot or by vehicle in tight or loose proximity to the subject.  Private investigators often work independently in either of these ways. In this Chapter we want to introduce you to stationary surveillance.  Here are some samples of stationary surveillance:  Surveillance Video Captures Cleveland Man Committing Workers' Comp Fraud – YouTube Surveillance Video Captures Cleveland Man Committing Workers' Comp Fraud – YouTube  Catching Insurance Fraud using Video Surveillance - CheatersCT.com - YouTube Catching Insurance Fraud using Video Surveillance - CheatersCT.com - YouTube

1.. Pg 155 Private Security and the Investigative Process - 2 nd edition; Charles P. Nemeth Baker Street Operations Manual