Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
follow at a distance and prepare to assume the point position, as directed
by the individual leading the surveillance. For example, say you are driv-
ing your vehicle down a busy street. In traffic, it is easy for someone fol-
lowing you to blend in with the other cars on the road and avoid detection.
Suppose, however, that you make a turn onto a small and lightly trafficked
road. The lead car may turn with you and maintain the point. However,
now you are driving in a quiet area with little traffic. It becomes easier for
you to notice a car following you, so the lead car's driver becomes more
cautious. The lead car will stay with you until the driver feels the need to
break off to avoid detection. Perhaps the lead will stay in contact until you
are ready to make a turn. Now the lead car must choose whether to turn
with you again or not. If the lead car decides to break off you to avoid
being detected, the driver then radios the next car in line (commonly
called the alternate) and tells it to make the turn. The lead car goes
straight and a new vehicle with a different face behind the wheel assumes
the point position. This procedure is repeated frequently, with surveillance
cars switching off to avoid having the same car follow for too long.
The more cars that are used, the harder it is to spot their presence.
Harder, yes, but certainly not impossible. How can you pick up on the
presence of surveillance vehicles if multiple vehicles are used? There are
several ways. First, if you pay attention to the cars around you, you may
notice the same car reappearing behind you at regular intervals. Remem-
ber, this technique is only as good as its operators. For example, one
member of the surveillance team may linger with you for too long because
his or her alternate is caught too far back in traffic to help out. The team
has alternates but one car is forced to remain the lead car. The driver may
lock bumpers or take too many turns with you because he or she has to or
else risk losing contact with you. If this happens, you will have the oppor-
tunity to pick up on the surveillance.
Other group surveillance methods require a higher level of training
and a larger number of surveillance vehicles. For this reason these meth-
ods are more likely to be utilized by professional intelligence officers or
specialized police units. These techniques are used by premier American law
enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Agencies or groups that are
superbly trained will use advance vehicles, chase cars with multiple alter-
nates, stationary surveillance points, and cars running along parallel streets.
The system shown in Exhibit 10.3 is extremely effective because
prepositioned vehicles cover every possible route that the target can take.
