There are sometimes when a new and even seasoned investigator doesn’t know when a surveillance goes wrong or what they can do better.  And that is why I am here, to help you become a better investigator for your clients and so that you are more billable and marketable to your clients. And that is why I am excited to share this surveillance story with you and to point out where this investigator went wrong. I also will point out things to consider that may have an impact on a surveillance assignment going wrong.

I received an email from someone who listens to the Private Investigator Podcast and this was his question.

“I am a fairly new PI and I have been burnt while trying to get video surveillance of my subject inside a store. What tips do you have for video surveillance inside stores (big and small) to avoid being burnt?”

It’s not uncommon for a new private investigator to get burned during a surveillance case.  New investigators often do not realize when they are heated or outright compromised during surveillance.  Many times subjects they are following know they are being followed but don’t provide obvious indications for the investigator. A veteran investigator will likely be more aware of those situations than a newer investigator and that comes with time, experience, and a great deal of awareness.  Don’t let awareness get muddled with paranoid chatter. There is a difference between the two and you have to navigate those waters with yourself.

After some back and forth trying to find out more, the investigator shared this: 

“I was set up at the residence about 4 houses down due to the way the crescent went. The subject had their roof done that morning and because they were having their roof done they had to move their vehicles out of the driveway while my luck they ended up moving the vehicle right in front of my car so the husband of the subject saw me. After he went back inside his house I moved my car without having to drive by the subject’s house and repositioned on the other side of the crescent out of you with the residence. They ended up leaving the house together in the truck and went to a neighborhood supermarket. There was a pharmacy store inside the supermarket and I went inside there to look for the subject. I found the subject at the back of the pharmacy filling a prescription and I started to get video. My biggest thing is how you do the video in such a manner that can assist in the subject not making you or seeing you doing the video. This is because she turned around at one point and looked at me and then looked directly down at my hand which was holding the camcorder videotaping her. I then walked out of the pharmacy because I had been burnt and she’d follow behind me but I was able to make good my escape…. Lol”

Reading between the lines and being critical, as I don’t know the history of the case or the exact setup, I can imagine that either his vehicle might not have enough tint or that he was sitting in the front seat.  There is also a chance that he was incredibly unlucky in being discovered by the person he was conducting surveillance on.

I am going into these tips assuming that there was nothing done previously that would have given the subject to be suspicious.  I am also assuming that this was an insurance-related surveillance assignment.

What I will do is provide some general concepts and tips to help prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future not just for the investigator involved but for you, the reader, a new investigator, or even a seasoned investigator that may be in a rough patch.

Let’s get into it.

Auditing This Surveillance Assignment and Providing Good Surveillance Practices

Having the Right Surveillance Vehicle

Surveillance vehicles have to blend in.  Avoid surveillance vehicles that stand out. This includes not having bright-colored vehicles or anything flashy that would draw attention to your vehicle. Generally speaking, vehicles with earth colors would be the color to aim for. I have found that black vehicles with black tint may draw more attention than other vehicles. 

You want to keep your surveillance vehicle as bland as possible with no identifiable marks or equipment that someone would remember.  Even damage to a vehicle can be memorable as well as bumper stickers or specific plates around your license plate.

Surveillance Vehicle Position

A vehicle position (your setup position) can vary depending on so many things.  Sometimes we have to be aggressive in our position due to the lack of information we have to begin an assignment. And that position can evolve with more information (confirming a subject lives at the residence, knowing all the vehicles associated with the residence, knowing what your subject looks like, etc..)

Now if I have worked the case before and I know certain things (what the subject looks like, what vehicles the subject has, patterns of behavior, etc…) and there is no reason for me to be extremely close to the residence, and it allows me to play the case looser and I will have less chance of being found out (burned). So when the subject leaves, I am a block or so away, and following them from that point is less suspicious as my vehicle hasn’t been in the area.

Now, this is just one example of why you may play a case looser than being aggressive. Generally speaking, the more aggressive you are in a surveillance position, the more opportunity for attention to come to you from either your subject or neighbors.

Seated position in the vehicle

A general rule during surveillance would be to situate yourself in the rear area of a surveillance vehicle if you are close to the subject’s residence. The further away from the subject’s residence enables less pressure to be covert within the vehicle.  You can potentially sit in the front seat which allows you to be prepared if your subject departs the residence to follow quickly.

Vehicle Tint

If your vehicle isn’t properly tinted, it won’t matter where you sit within your vehicle.  Having tint or window coverings that allow you to be hidden within your vehicle will allow you to have a better chance of being covert in close-quarter surveillance situations. A good surveillance vehicle will have at least three back windows tinted with limo tint. I have found that to be legal in most of the United States however you may need to check with your state to determine if that is legal. Having a 15 percent tint on the front driver and passenger windows is a good option if you don’t want to have limo tint on those windows.

Possibly compromised

With the information provided, I don’t know if this particular surveillance assignment had been worked on before and if it was even worked by the same investigator.  This surveillance could have potentially been compromised by a different investigator.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that this case was day one of the surveillance assignment, I can understand a slightly more aggressive surveillance position in case the subject of the surveillance is out and about in his front yard area with workers at his home.

When the subject saw him as they reparked their vehicle, it would be tough to make an assumption that the subject was an investigator or even suspicious as there were other workers on site. 

The investigator probably didn’t have to move unless the vehicles around him would make it more difficult to follow someone from the residence.  This isn’t likely where the investigator got burned.

Following the Subject From His Residence (Moving Automobile Surveillance)

When parked so close to a residence, this is where a lot of investigators get in trouble.  If the investigator was even slightly on the radar of the subject or neighbors, following the subject and being noticed confirms any suspicions the subject may have had. 

As a surveillance investigator, it is important to be mindful of what is happening around you and to anticipate what can happen in the future.

In short, following the subject from their residence and being only 4 houses away may have alerted the subject.

Following the Subject Inside a Store

There are different philosophies about following a subject in a store. There are some investigators that believe that when a subject enters a store, the investigator should wait a little bit before entering as the subject may depart from the store as quickly as they went in (depending on the type of store).

If it is a large grocery store, I will try to enter the store (assuming I have no reason to believe I am compromised) shortly after the subject and obtain covert footage intermittently within the store.

If it is a gas station store or stores that are a little smaller like a Rite Aid or Walgreens store, I may be a little hesitant going right in as many times people that enter those sorts of stores (generally speaking) and are not there for very long. 

Spy camera

I think the biggest mistake of this investigator was not having a spy camera to secure footage. Bringing a camcorder within a store that isn’t covert in any way (in your sleeve is not covert), is a recipe for disaster.  It was no wonder that the subject was concerned and began following the investigator.  

If you don’t have a suitable covert camera and you need recommendations I can give you a couple at the bottom of this section.  Using a camcorder in a public place will more times than not draw attention to you.  A best practice is always to use a covert spy camera to document footage within stores, restaurants, and close-quarter situations.

Two quick recommendations for spy cameras would be the spy pen camera and a keychain camera. Both links will take you to amazon.

There are many other variables that could have contributed to being compromised but I do believe the biggest one was the investigator not having a suitable covert camera.  Aggressive surveillance efforts can have big payoffs however they also have consequences that can end a surveillance assignment and end your billable day.

Stay safe and keep being a student in the investigative world.