Surveillance: To many people, surveillance conjures images of someone following another person and hiding in the shadows, or sitting in a dark, parked car, watching their movements closely. In many cases this sort of tail-and-stakeout situation is still necessary. But surveillance is much more than just watching with the eyes.
Surveillance means monitoring behavior for a specific reason. This monitoring includes all kinds of methods, from visual tracking to electronic listening to computer record-keeping. Modern surveillance can be done from greater and greater distances with higher accuracy. Evidence is harder to cover up, especially if technology is used.
Surveillance cameras, both public and
private, capture our movements whether we know it or not. Computers log our actions on the Internet as well as in the real world: ATMs, credit card transactions, and other financial instruments show the times and places we make purchases. It is impossible to avoid leaving a trail in twenty-first century America.
Surveillance is usually imagined as a covert activity, but overt surveillance is popular for preventing unwanted behavior. Video cameras are often announced with signs in dressing rooms or other hidden locations of retail stores to dissuade shoplifters. Convenience stores put cameras in very visible spots around the cash registers. Sometimes these cameras and signs are dummies and no recording actually takes place, but with such overt signs of
surveillance, the level of crime is reduced. Hiring a security guard to patrol a store or
private property is another example of overt surveillance. “Prevention is better than a cure,” as they say.
Covert surveillance may be conducted on foot, in a vehicle, or even by air (think of satellite photographs behind enemy lines, for instance). Surveillance can be done up close or from long distances, depending on the situation and available equipment. Modern optics, film, and digital technologies mean photographic evidence can be obtained from far away in poor lighting. Technology has also improved the ability to listen to conversations hundreds of feet away with the right microphones. Electronic “bugs” and hidden cameras are now so miniaturized and effective that investigators don’t have to risk detection while hiding in a closet or the next room.
Internet surveillance is the newest form of investigation, and often the most effective. So much white-collar crime is done on computers that tracking down misappropriated assets is often just a matter of confiscating an employee’s PC and checking its temporary files and Internet history. E-mail that is deleted can often be restored using readily-available software and a little technical expertise. Someone hiding behind an online alias to blackmail or threaten a person, or using a Web site to defraud customers and partners, can be traced with high confidence. There is very little real anonymity left to those who fall under the scrutiny of a good
private investigator.
What kind of
surveillance job do you need done? Have you tried tracking your
cheating husband only to discover how difficult it is to stay hidden driving the family SUV? What is happening to the profits you expected to make compared to what your accountant is showing you? How can you be sure you’re not getting taken in by a scam artist if you invest in his new business opportunity?
Contact ICS today and we can be on the job by tomorrow. With a 30-minute, no-cost, no-obligation consultation, we will determine the best approach for your surveillance job and help you find out the truth behind the lies. Don’t do it yourself – let a professional
private investigator at ICS deliver the evidence you need.
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Common Types of Surveillance:
- Domestic Surveillance for Personal Matters
- Surveillance for Criminal Matters
- Surveillance for Civil Matters
- Surveillance to Support Commercial and Business matters
- Legal Support Surveillance
- Surveillance for Insurance Fraud and Claims Investigations
- Counterintelligence/Espionage
- Government Contract Response
- Incident Response Surveillance
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ICS Surveillance Advantages:
- Licensed, Bonded, and Insured
- Professionally and Covertly Conducted
- Provided by Contracted or Full-time Staff Worldwide
- Managed by Surveillance Veterans with no less than 5 years of Combined Field Experience
- Digital Reporting Available
- Government Multiple Contract Holder
- DVR, CCTV, Remote, or Hidden
- Written Reports with Summary
- Eating at Restaurants
- Arriving at Airports
- Boats on the Lake
- Entering and Exiting Hotel Rooms.
If we need to
provide surveillance for your investigation, we ask that you provide
the following items of the subject(s) in question (preferably in
writing):
• Two or more recent photographs preferably in different forms of attire and environment.
• Names, addresses, and telephone numbers for any known associates, relatives, and/or friends that subject might be in contact.
• A list of any recreational activities or places that the subject(s) is known to participate in or frequent.
• License plate information and description of any vehicle(s) used by
the subject, and/or of the subject(s) associates, relatives, and/or
friends.
• Any relevant information concerning the case at hand. The smallest
detail or suspicion may be important. (i.e. schedules, behaviors, or
habits).