There are many types of surveillance detection and today we’ll be continuing to apply concepts and tactics used by Personal Security Detail (PSD) teams, with ways to detect static and mobile surveillance along your routes.
In our last article about Route Surveys we focused on going from home to work and we’ll be doing the same in this article.
I’m sure everyone wants to dive right into how you can ditch a “tail” and other counter surveillance techniques, but before you can do that you have to have a understanding how the surveillance process works.
What Is Surveillance?
One definition I like is “The secret, continuous, periodic watching of persons, vehicles, places or objects to obtain information concerning the activities and identities of individuals.” It’s all about information gathering.
As I stated in the first article, you probably won’t to have to worry about a well organized group of terrorists following you from home to work, but even common burglars use basic surveillance methods to figure out when the best time to break into a residence is.
When we talk about terrorists or other organized criminals, they use a planning process that assures their success. If you are attacked they have already assessed your physical security and routines. Surveillance detection is using countermeasures to deny them information during the selecting and collecting phases. You also want to appear as a hard target, so they move on to someone else.
There is a common sequence of events that takes place during surveillance:
Attackers select a potential victim and begin collecting information.
Surveillance continues as the attack is planned and practiced.
Attackers deploy according to the information received.
Surveillance is also used to confirm your arrival immediately prior to an attack. Once the attack has begun the attackers have a huge advantage. They have set the time and place that you are the most vulnerable and most exposed. The key to beating them is to identify and exploit their information gathering process (the surveillance itself) and hopefully end the attack before it begins. Make them move on to the easy target or make them realize they are going to have a fight on their hands. I know I keep saying “make them move on to someone else”, but that is exactly what you want to have happen.
Surveillance may take weeks, months, or even years. During the collection phase attackers are vulnerable to detection. This is also where you can use misinformation to confuse and delay their information gathering.
The duration of the surveillance is a major factor and shows why it’s difficult to detect the common burglar or crime of opportunity. Their surveillance is normally just hours and they may not be open to detection over that short period of time. This is where being a hard target comes into play.
Detection Techniques
Your driveway
Be dialed in and keep your head on a swivel. Even the appearance that you are looking around can be helpful. Looking around may make the person watching you think you are looking right at them. This is referred to as being “hot,” when conducting surveillance there is nothing worse than feeling like the target is on to you or your vehicle.
This may make them have to “cool off” and switch out the “eyeball” (the person watching you). They are susceptible to detection when they switch personnel out. One vehicle may leave a position and be replaced by another in a different location. If both of these have a good vantage point to your front door or street that may indicate you are being watched.
One of the upcoming articles will be about checking your vehicle. I won’t get into that yet, but one story I’ve heard comes to mind. An officer was stationed overseas and each morning before leaving for work he would lift the hood of his car and look around and under the engine. He had no idea he was being watched during the selection phase of a surveillance. The terrorists thought he was dialed in and was checking for bombs each morning. What they didn’t know was he had an oil leak and he was just trying to figure out where it was coming from. He was passed over and they moved on to someone else.
This shows how the small things you do can confuse and mislead the information collection process.
The take-away
By far the toughest part of a surveillance is what’s called the take-away. This is when the target (you in this case) leaves a location and starts moving. If the eyeball isn’t paying attention and the other members aren’t ready, you can lose them right from the start. I speak from personal experience on this one as I’ve dropped the ball on a take-away or two. As I mentioned in the route survey article, you cannot be alert 100% of the time. This also goes for someone who is attempting to watch you.
You have some factors working for you as well. Your direction is not usually known (since you switch things up), evasive moves can be made early,