Surveillance Street Smarts

Surveillance-Street Smarts, Do You have What it Takes?

The question at hand is what does it mean to have street smarts when conducting surveillance. It means when your on the street and get urself into a situation of either exposure or being questioned by police, go with neither! Let me first state that we ALL have been in questionable places where our position was compromised. However, novice investigators tend to panic and reveal there intentions either by fleeing onsite or botching there reasoning when confronted.

Believe me when I tell you I have seen this first hand; it is not pretty and whats worse it paints an ill picture of a legitimate line of work. What to do?

First, consider your surroundings and what subject matter your dealing with, are they in shape? do they have noisy neighbors? Is there a neighborhood watch? Do the police do regular intervals and question vehicles they dont recognize?

If the subject is in fair condition and your in a suburban neighborhood more than likely they will be on the move, and suspicious of all that surround them. Noisy neighbors must also be considered: I once was chased by three angry men, simply because of a noisy neighbor! Mind you I was on foot, doing pretexts. Bottom line is once you know your situation and surroundings be mindful of what it can mean at the time or potentially manifest into.

Note: When in the field you cannot prepare for all situations but you must expect the unexpected! Know when to holdem and when to foldem..BE smart as well as stealthy...use common sense. What would you except as a reasonable excuse for a vehicle you didnt recognize? Or a stranger asking questions! Dont say you lost your dog, cause they would just think you lost your mind!!!!