Surveillance Strategies

If you, a member of your family, or anyone on your team is suspicious of being under surveillance, increase your situational awareness and follow the below strategies: 

Hostile Observation

It is helpful in identifying threats to remember that a criminal will need all three components: Ability, Opportunity, and Intent to harm a victim. ((i.e. an armed guard would have the ability and opportunity, but typically not the intent, and would therefore not be a threat).

• Stake-Out Phase: When someone starts watching you.
  • CLUES: A person is lurking, hanging out where people usually don’t, or doesn’t fit in.
• Pick-Up Phase: When someone starts following you.
  • CLUES: You move and they move. You move and they communicate (phone, hand signals..)

• Follow and Stops Phase: When someone is following you.

  • CLUES : Someone is keeping a consistent pace as you.

  • As you stop at a location (i.e. coffee shop, store, etc), a follower may either wait outside or follow you inside. This is often determined by their purpose. If their purpose is to locate your home, they will probably not follow you into the store. If their purpose is to get a sense of who you are and what you are doing, they will likely follow you inside.

• End Phase: When someone stops following you.

  • What was the purpose? To find your home? To observe what you do and say? If they found your home, they may start from there next time.

Become self-aware of your own routines. Draw an actual map of your daily environments. Think about what time we usually do things and the routes that we take. What is our demeanor? When are we unaware?

We can use these principles to make ourselves unpredictable and protect ourselves. Some places, like church or home, might not be able to be changed. But we can still change the time or route. These reduce the probability of an attack in several places and narrow the scope of where it might take place and where we need to be more highly aware.

Remember that isolation can lead to victimization.

Identifying Surveillance

Use this TEDDD principle to identify surveillance.

Tips for Looking Back without Appearing to be Suspicious

• Crossing the Street - You have to look both ways.
• U-Turns - Pass a shop and then turn back around and decide to go in.

Mitigating an Attack

• Wait them out at a location (store, coffee shop, etc)
• Call local friends to meet you so that you are not alone.
• Channeling - Find a channel (like a bridge, on-ramp, tunnel), where they have to follow you but may not know which fork or exit you will take.
• Stair Stepping - Using an alternate but rational route to get home, instead of a direct route. Don't use an irrational route that will make it obvious you know you are being followed.
• Go to a place like a mall that has multiple entries and multiple exits. Especially if you are using public transportation and do not have to park. It will be very difficult for someone to continue to follow you.
• NEVER initiate confrontation as it may force them to a premature attack.
• Avoid being too "clever" as they may assume you have more training than you do and suspect you to be a spy or something.

Determining the Surveillor

Can we identify if our surveillance is criminal or governmental? Look at what the current climate is. Are westerners being targeted in the country? Overt surveillance is probably more governmental. They maybe care less if they are noticed.

See also Captivity Strategies