FIXED SURVEILLANCE

In a fixed surveillance, or stakeout, it is the subject who remains stationary. The surveillant may move around for closer observation of the area or subject. When one surveillant is detailed to watch a place with more than one exit, the surveillant may have to move about considerably to maintain proper surveillance.

When you are preparing for a stakeout, the base of operations should be well-planned. It maybe an office, apartment, house, automobile, or truck. A thorough, but cautious, reconnaissance should be conducted of the area or building from which the surveillance is to be made. Necessary equipment, such as binoculars, cameras, and sound recording devices, should be provided.

Specific arrangements should be made to provide relief for the surveillant and for communications contact with headquarters. In situations where the surveillant cannot observe from a fixed base, it may be necessary to assume a role that will not attract undue

Figure 15-2.-One-vehicle surveillance.

attention. The use of disguised vans and trucks as observation posts in fixed surveillances should be considered.

OTHER TECHNIQUES

Obviously, all surveillance techniques have not been covered in this chapter. There are numerous adaptations and combinations of the basic techniques discussed. You will develop these and apply them as you gain experience.

The surveillant or surveillance team should be prepared to switch from foot surveillance to vehicle surveillance, and vice versa. No one walks everywhere, nor rides to every destination. It is also likely that two types of surveillance will be combined.

A technique of loose surveillance that has proved extremely useful when time permits and the subject follows an established routine is progressive surveillance. In this technique, the subject is observed during a particular phase of daily routine, or for a specific period of time on one day, and the cutoff point recorded. The next day, the surveillance is picked up at the previous day's cutoff. This process is repeated until the subject's activity has been thoroughly covered.

INTERVIEWS AND INTERROGATIONS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: List the reasons for conducting an interview or interrogation. Explain the difference between an interview and an interrogation. Describe the legal considerations and human factors involved in interviews and interrogations. Identify the need for witnesses, methods used with the opposite sex, and the types of persons who may be questioned. List and explain the elements involved in conducting interviews and the elements involved in interrogating suspects.

During the course of any investigation, often the most valuable sources of information are the people involved. The investigator interviews or interrogates them for a variety of reasons, some of the more common being the following: 

l To gain information to establish the facts of the crime, including determination of whether or not a crime actually occurred

. To verify or tie-in prior information received from other persons involved in the investigation or from physical evidence left at the scene 

l To identify any additional witnesses 

. To identify perpetrator(s) and accomplice(s) 

. To secure additional evidence

. To develop background information on the specific crime/offense 

. To eliminate suspects

. To discover details of other offenses

DEFINITIONS

Interview. An interview is the questioning of a person who has or is believed to have information of official interest to the investigator. In an interview, the person questioned usually gives in his or her own manner and words a personal account of an incident under investigation or offers information concerning a person being investigated. After the person gives the account of an incident, the investigator should review it with that person and amplify certain points and clearly explain matters not previously mentioned, depending on the elements of the offense under investigation.

Interrogation. An interrogation is the questioning of a person suspected of having committed an offense or of a person who is reluctant to make a full disclosure of information pertinent to an investigation.

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

In addition to the legal considerations discussed in chapters 2, 3, and 4, you, the investigator, should become thoroughly familiar with the laws applying to the specific offense under investigation before you conduct an interview or interrogation. A knowledge of these laws will assist you in evaluating the relevancy of information received and assist you in the detection of incriminating points in statements.

You should avoid any oversight or mistake that would impair the value of the results of an investigation to the person or agency using the results in a legal action.

Often, through questioning a suspect for one offense, investigative leads or admission of guilt related to other offenses may be developed. This additional information may be of value to you or other law enforcement agencies.