Surveillance and Observation
Plan, watch, record, withdraw
Surveillance is the most heavily tested practical skill. Know the forms: static (fixed post), mobile (vehicle following), foot, and technical (cameras, GPS with lawful authority). Pre-surveillance planning covers the subject's description and habits, the location and its access points, cover and attire, communications, vehicle and fuel, restroom and food plans, and an abort criterion. Mobile surveillance uses the ABC method - lead, primary, and follow vehicles leapfrogging - and a two- or three-investigator team is the floor for a moving subject in traffic. Never follow so closely that the subject can read your tag in the mirror, and never follow into a private driveway or a dead-end street where you will be burned.
Observation standards: describe, don't conclude. Use the standard vehicle mnemonic (color, year, make, model, body style, damage, license plate, state) and a person checklist (sex, race, approximate age, height, weight, build, hair, facial hair, glasses, tattoos, clothing, footwear, distinguishing gait). Log every time the subject enters or leaves view, and record "no activity" periods too - negative observation is evidence of continuous coverage.
Traps: identifying a subject from a distance when you cannot see the face; leaving the log to be written at the end of the day; letting the client ride along; and making contact without authorization.
Rule of thumb: if you can't describe it in a way a stranger could verify, you didn't see it. Write it while it is happening, not from memory.