(this is a setup to a nice eye spy article. It has alot of information and I will be finishing this up hopefully this weekend.)
As the hollywood detective sits in his four-door sedan, he downs numerous cups of coffee to stay awake and occasionally speaks into a two-way radio to other officers also maintaining the same stake-out ritual. Then, finally, in the pre-dawn hours, the villain emerges from the location, playing right into the hands of the seasoned and street-smart hero who tails him to where he commits a crime, takes a hostage, or retrieves some stashed contraband. Then, in action-packed style, the detective handles the entire situation, bringing the case to a successful conclusion.
While surveillances usually do not follow this scenario, those who have conducted such operations will admit that participating in a productive surveillance can be a rewarding and, at times, an exhilarating experience. Second only to operating confidential sources, surveillance is the most frequently employed investigative technique in obtaining arrests, indictments, and convictions for the FBI.
Unlike operating informants, however conducting a surveillance requires using the team concept. The considerable resources required for a surveillance draw personnel away from other investigative functions, which can pose problems. Also, the potential exists for for altering the subject of the investigation to law enforcement's interest, which conceivably could compromise the covertness of not only the surveillance but the entire case. Preparation and some fine-tuning at the onset can make the difference between haveing a productive surveillance and expending expensive resources and coming up empty-handed.
Law enforcement agencies primarily use surveillance to develop both intelligence and evidence to further investigations by identifying subjects, their activities, and their associates, along with their residences, places of business, hangouts, and other related locations. Surveillance also can identify potential sources, corroborate source information, provide security to undercover operatives, and gather data for site surveys. In addition, information obtaining authorisation for other investigavtive techniques, such as search warrants and wiretaps.
"If the threat level goes up its probably because of me." "I am looking for a girl who enjoys headbutting beltbuckles" |
Ethics
