NCJ Number
92672
Date Published
1983
Length
198 pages
Annotation
This text describes the main tactics used by investigators who secretly keep their subject under surveillance and by undercover agents who infiltrate an organization.
Abstract
An overview of surveillance explains the difference between covert and overt surveillance; the basic types of surveillance; the distinctions between air, ground, and water surveillance; the rules for preparing for surveillance; legal guidelines for surveillants; and the personal qualifications of successful surveillants. Guidelines on foot surveillance focus on teams of different sizes, the use of vehicular backup, means of coping with a subject's maneuvers to reveal the observer; and errors to avoid. Automobile surveillance is explained with respect to the selection of vehicles, the risks involved, nighttime surveillance, surveillance in rural areas, discontinuing the surveillance, and the picking up the trail of a lost subject. Advice on the use of observation posts and stationary surveillance focuses on the selection of the observation post, maintaining secrecy, keeping a surveillance log, and outdoor surveillance posts and disguises. Equipment and techniques useful for surveillance photography are explained. Undercover operatives are discussed, with emphasis on types of undercover assignments, the cover story, preparing for and living the undercover role, hazards, and the maintenance of secrecy. Guidelines on the conduct of internal theft investigations focus on types of internal theft, the scope of internal theft investigations and reports, the supervision and coordination of undercover investigations, company controls and theft prevention, and the need to adhere to the law. Chapter notes, diagrams, an index, and 15 references are included.