sur·veil·lance (sr-vlns)

noun. Close observation of a person or group, especially one under suspicion.

The act of observing or the condition of being observed.

 

What is Surveillance?  It is the systematic observation of persons, places or things in order to obtain information and is typically accomplished without the knowledge of the person being watched. It is also the most lucrative type of assignment that investigators handle day in and day out!

 

We are Pensacola’s surveillance experts.  We literally wrote the book on successful strategies for surveillance investigations!

 

Private investigators are called on to conduct surveillance for a variety of reasons- most often we are asked to document the activities of spouses, girlfriends and boyfriends who are believed to be cheating on their spouse or lover or to gather evidence in support of Worker’s Compensation investigations.  Covert (hidden) video cameras give us the ability to secretly watch teenagers or your child (these types of cameras are often referred to as “nanny cams” or “nannycams”) in the home or to photograph instances of fraud, theft, and embezzlement in the workplace.

 

Surveillance is not limited to its use by private investigators and the police.  Private Security Officers may conduct surveillance to catch a saboteur and retail Loss Prevention Investigators use surveillance to apprehend shoplifters; surveillance systems are employed to protect people and property.

 

A surveillance operation must be planned. The plan need not follow a formal outline or even be in writing. However the plan is organized, each surveillant learns every step of the operation. The plan may state general concepts of operations and duties. It may coordinate actions, because the actions of two or more investigators must always be coordinated. It may also include alternate courses of action; planning alternatives lets you adapt smoothly to dynamic situations.

 

Before a surveillance takes place, you we would like to obtain a photograph or at least a description of the person or the vehicle we are going to observe; the description of a vehicle should include the license plate number, if possible. Make sure the subject is going to be in town.

 

In order to be successful we attempt learn everything possible about the subject and what the client needs before setting out. If it is within your budget, we will do informational pre-surveillance work like database searches, DMV records, study maps, verify name spellings, address, check to see if the neighbors appear to be related to the subject of the investigation, etc. By visiting the neighborhood and driving around to determine ingress and egress routes, we can then make an intelligent decision on how to best proceed.

 

Oftentimes, the hardest part of conducting a surveillance is positively identifying the subject of the investigation.  I have had hellish cases in which the claimant lived in a multi-story (5 stories to be exact) apartment complex with all entrances available only through a lobby; the only information I had from the client was that the subject was a certain ethnic race (the same as the rest of the residents), middle aged, and of average height and weight.

 

There have been many cases when a client said that the subject was living at a specific address, the investigator proceeded to get 10 hours of footage on a person looking similar to the subjects description… only to find out that the subject moved several weeks earlier. When the client gets the video and the bill they will be very disappointed, even though the investigator was using their information. Simply running the vehicle tag numbers at the location and verifying the residential telephone listing would have indicated that a new occupant was present.  God forbid the video evidence makes it to a deposition or trial!

 

Not conducting pre-surveillance checks probably cause the loss of more clients than any other part of an assignment and the investigator seldom knows what he or she did wrong.  For piece of mind and knowing that you have hired the right private investigators in Florida, Alabama or Mississippi give us a call.

 

Please call us today to discuss your surveillance needs- (877) 363-4887