Surveillance: Photographs and Video

Note: This article is specific to fixed post surveillance.

​Photographs and video recordings as evidence are a great way to gather the facts about your case when conducting surveillance. Photographs and video provide a record that others can be view to see exactly what you saw at the time. Remember the old line, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

When photographing and gathering video of your subject, there are a few general rules, or guidelines that will ensure you capture exactly what is required for your case.

Capture both video, and photographs of your target. This ensures you have redundancy in the event one or the other is questioned, or, you have a back-up in the event one or the other fails. It also allows you to capture actions that may not be on one or the other, providing you with multiple fields of view. (Some investigators may use multiple recorders to capture more than one angle depending on the location and type of surveillance they are conducting)

Identify in advance what information you are trying to capture. Are you trying to capture your target exchanging information with someone? If so you will need equipment that will allow you take high resolution video or photos from a distance, such as using a zoom lens. If you are only trying to capture a meeting with someone else, then you need enough resolution to capture definition of facial features. Generally, full body shots are used.

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Your video recorder and camera should provide you with a preview, or real time viewing of what is being recorded. You can quickly identify if your are capturing what you need, allowing you to avoid glare from the windshield, or other obstructions when trying to conceal your equipment.

Here are some tasks you should always do when before, during and immediately after conducting surveillance.

Just before you begin surveillance:

• ​Time and date stamp video and photographs - Verify your equipment is displaying the correct time and date, and that it overlays on the resulting media. Consider taking a photograph and video of your cell phone with the time and date displayed just before beginning your surveillance. As cell phones capture the time and date from the network, this provides you with verification or calibration for your resulting media.
• Take video and photos that clearly show the location you are focused on - Consider starting the video as you approach the location so that it will capture street signs leading up to the location. Once you are set-up on location, begin taking wide angle shots then zooming in to provide context of the location. 

• Test all equipment, ensure batteries are fully charged, have backup batteries as well, and make sure you are comfortable in operating the equipment.

​When conducting surveillance:

• Start video stating the date, time, location, and other relevant information regarding your investigation at the beginning. You will also close out the video in the same way. For example; “This is video surveillance of John Adams, case number 12-3-321 beginning on January 3, 2017 at 6pm at the Williams Diner on 354 Jones Avenue, Atlanta Georgia.” Some investigators may include the type of equipment they are using to include the serial number as well.
• ​Capture opposing wide and zoomed angles of shots between the video and camera. If you are focusing your video on a close-up of the target, then take a few photo’s that are wide angle. Reverse if you are gathering video from a wide angle, zoomed out, by taking close-up shots with your camera.
• Once you start the video it should continue until you are completed. Avoid the temptation to pause and restart the video. Timing on set-up is important to ensure you have enough storage space to record video. If the surveillance is expected to take a long time, consider having two recorders. Start the second video recorder a few minutes before you expect the first one to run out of storage. This provides continuous recording of your surveillance.
• Remember that when you are recording video, it is capturing audio in your vehicle. This is useful in describing what you see on the video, or referring to something that is happening just beyond the view of the recorder. For example: “There is a green, late model Ford approaching from the south.” Also, remember that if you receive a phone call, unrelated to the surveillance, anything you say will be recorded as well. [Check the laws in your state about recording audio from outside of the vehicle.]
• When video recording, avoid jerking the recorder from one shot to another. When possible, slowly pan the video to clearly show the change in the camera angle and the change in what you are focusing on.

Immediately after completing the surveillance:

• When you are at a secure location, review the video and photographs you have taken. Don’t delete or edit any of them.
• Print photo sheets from your camera. Most software programs will allow you print a page full of thumbnail photographs. These sheets serve as your inventory for your investigation. You can later focus on printing the most relevant photo’s later.
• Back everything up. Save video and photographs to a secured usb drive. This usb drive becomes your record of pristine evidence and can be provided to your client. Lock or password protect the usb drive to prevent someone from accidentally erasing or modifying the files. Or, adding additional files to the drive. Document the creation of the usb files in your evidence log.
• Document your actions in setting up and conducting the surveillance as well. A few paragraphs will do the trick. You should include the time, date, location(s), subject of the surveillance, the location where you set-up, etc. Include estimated distances from the target as well. Here is an example:
  • “Investigator set-up surveillance of John Adams at 5:45 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at the Williams Diner located on 345 Jones Avenue, Atlanta Georgia. Adams arrived at the location at 6pm. Video recording started at 5:55pm and continued until 6:30pm when Adams left the location. Investigator took photographs as well as video recordings, see evidence items 12 -3- 321 A and B. All evidence was copied to a secured usb drive, (#1), at 6:45 pm.” etc, etc, etc.

Documenting your surveillance activities with video and photographs is critical in gathering the facts, providing your client with the information they need. If done improperly, the time spent conducting surveillance could be lost, more importantly, it may prevent important information from being used by your client.