Who conducts Surveillance?
Welcome back to part three of my series on Surveillance.
In this section, I will be concentrating on the individuals who conduct surveillance in national security investigations. Now if you came here looking for names, contact information, and descriptions, well you’re going to be disappointed. This section will deal with who is a surveillant in a general sense. Which is an important aspect of being a surveillant. Surveillants are individuals who can blend into most areas without being noticed. Everyday people going about their day to day.
Expecting a James Bond, Jack Ryan, or Jason Bourne? Well don’t, most surveillants are good at their job because they don’t bring a lot of attention to themselves. This means they don’t try to be the best dressed, the best looking, or the loudest person in the room.
As previously referenced in other sections of this series. Surveillants are there to observe the actions and interactions of the target. The fly on the wall, the unnoticed.
In order to accomplish this dual role of notice, but not be noticed, surveillants are adept at finding the right place to observe, but not be observed. This means that they need to know where best to place themselves to see the target, without necessarily being noticed or seen by the target or one of the people with the target.
This includes, but isn’t limited to, where to sit in a restaurant, where to stand in line at a grocery store, where to park to see the entrance of a building, etc.
Male, female, tall, short, young, old, thin or not, surveillants are made up of all of these. And justifiably so, as so is the world in which we live. But surveillants, especially foot surveillants need to have a level of physicality to them. To keep up with a target, a surveillant may be required to walk for long periods of time, as well as run to catch up to or get ahead of a target that needs to be handed off by another team member. See my previous section on how surveillance is conducted to get a better understanding of why this happens.
Additionally, a surveillant may be required to carry equipment, depending on how they maintain communications with other team members, as well as props for their cover. Think of a briefcase for a businessperson, a backpack for a university or adult student, or a courier bag for a messenger. Additionally, a surveillant may need to change up their appearance, or need to have attire for inclement climate weather. Hat, gloves, sunglasses, and an umbrella, the weather can and does change, so a surveillant needs to be ready.
Most surveillants need to be incredibly observant. But in a nonchalant way. This means that they can maintain visual contact, but not look like they are doing a 1000-yard stare into the target. Remember, surveillants blend in, that doesn’t happen when the person at the table next to you, see you burning a hole into the head of the person sitting by the door of the restaurant.
Surveillants don’t play peek-a-boo. They don’t hide around a corner and pop their head out occasionally to see if the target is moving. Again, this calls attention, which is not what a surveillant wants.
Surveillants are multitaskers and adapters. They need to understand the ins and outs of a location, so they can leave without being seen and provide information to the team if the location has multiple exits and entries, so they can set up as needed.
Surveillants are calm, cool, and collected. They improvise if they are approached by a random observer or the target. Things can get awkward quickly if a surveillant yells to someone else “don’t sit there, I can’t see the person at the counter if you sit there!”. Knowing where the target is, even by seeing just a part of their clothing, is enough to maintain control of the target.
Additionally, turning the corner to, unfortunately, run into the target, doesn’t mean you run in the opposite direction, trying to cover your face, yelling “don’t look at me!”.
Being a surveillant demands patience. Many surveillants are required to sit in parked vehicles or stand in alcoves for long periods of time. The target may not move at all during a shift. This can be frustrating and feel like a waste of time, but conversely, a surveillant may be on the go for the entire shift or need to move quickly at a moment’s notice.
So in conclusion, surveillants are anyone, who can be almost anywhere and if they’re professional and well-trained, go unnoticed by everyone, including the target.
