Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
How many people are on the street? Is there anything particular about the
appearance of the person following you? Unusual dress or physical char-
acteristics will obviously help you figure out that you are being followed.
You would be far more likely to observe Dennis Rodman following you
than you would Dennis Franz. By the way, this cuts both ways. Remember
the advice in Chapter 2 about dressing and behaving conservatively? If
you are sporting pink hair, you are not exactly going to blend in. That is,
unless you are in certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles, New York, or
London.
Foot surveillance techniques can closely follow the techniques used in
a mobile surveillance. A team is more effective than a single-person sur-
veillance operation. One person follows on foot, not too closely behind
you. The person may be following in an offset fashion by walking behind
you on the other side of the street. When you turn, the tail does not but
rather allows the alternate to pick you up. Once again, the technique is
only as good as the individual operative's skill level. The exact same mis-
takes that allow you to identify a mobile surveillance hold true on foot. It
is also likely that anyone following you will need to remain in radio con-
tact with the other team members still in their respective vehicles. Years
ago, agents in law enforcement agencies like the DEA and FBI used minia-
ture microphones either clipped inside their lapel or built in to an ear-
piece, allowing the operative to use the same piece of equipment to transmit
and listen to the response or other radio traffic. Today, with the preva-
lence of cell phones, it is no longer necessary to use clandestine micro-
phones to transmit while following someone on foot. It is commonplace
to see people walking down the street and talking on their cell phones.
This will not be something that will catch your attention. However, if the
cell phone activity is coupled with other patterns of behavior consistent
with someone conducting surveillance, it may indicate that you are being
followed by a team using both vehicular and foot surveillance techniques.
TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE
The most effective surveillance is conducted by combining physical sur-
veillance techniques with technical surveillance. This allows for the most
complete acquisition of information with the lowest probability of detec-
tion. Surveillance conducted in this manner by a professional and well-
trained team can be extremely difficult to detect and defeat.
