Mobile physical surveillance is the direct observation of a moving target for the purpose of gathering information. It is typically conducted by a surveillance team of five to twenty operators using multiple vehicles. During a mobile physical surveillance effort, the surveillance team has two goals: to successfully follow the target and to avoid being detected by the target.
A mobile physical surveillance effort typically begins with staking out the location where the target is believed to be, such as their home or place of employment. When the target leaves the stakeout location, the surveillance team begins following them and the surveillance effort transitions into a mobile phase. The surveillance effort then alternates between static phases (when the target stops) and mobile phases (when the target starts moving again).
Examples of mobile physical surveillance techniques include:
- Using an appropriate mode of travel based on the target's mode of travel. For example, if the target is in a vehicle, the surveillance team must use vehicles, but if the target is on foot, the surveillance team may prefer to use operators on foot.
- Using cover and concealment to avoid detection by the target. For example, surveillance vehicles can hide behind other vehicles, and surveillance operators on foot can blend in with pedestrian traffic.
- Rotating which surveillance operator or vehicle is closest to the target to limit the risk of the target noticing that someone is following them.
Mobile physical surveillance may be facilitated by:
- A tracking device installed on the target's vehicle or bike.
- Aerial surveillance, such as a drone following the target from a distance.
Generally, a surveillance team will not attempt to arrest its target during a mobile physical surveillance operation. On rare occasions, however, this may happen if the surveillance team has gathered enough information about the target's activities to incriminate them and deems it necessary to arrest the target immediately (e.g. to prevent a crime).
See also:
- Measures Against Surveillance for insights into how police and intelligence agencies conduct such surveillance and how we can defend against it.
- The physical surveillance topic.
Used in tactics: Incrimination
Mitigations
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Anti-surveillance | You can conduct anti-surveillance to evade a mobile physical surveillance effort. |
| Surveillance detection | You can conduct surveillance detection to detect a mobile physical surveillance effort. |
| Transportation by bike | You can use a bike instead of any other type of vehicle: compared to other vehicles or people on foot, a bike is harder to follow by a mobile physical surveillance effort, especially without the effort being detected. |
Used in repressive operations
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Repression of the first Jane's Revenge arson | In March 2023, cops secretely observed the comrade who was later arrested from a distance of about 30 meters[1]. The cops watched the comrade discard a paper bag, retrieved it, and collected DNA evidence linking the comrade to the action site. |
| Case against Boris | For several weeks, investigators regularly staked out Boris's home and tailed him as he moved on foot, on bicycles, and in vehicles[2]. |
| The three from the park bench | During the evening leading up to the arrests, two of the comrades rode their bikes through the city and were followed by cops on bikes (and presumably also cops in cars) until they were arrested in the park[3]. The cops decided to follow the comrades specifically that evening because it was exactly two years since the G20 summit in Hamburg and the comrades were suspected of planning an action for the anniversary of the summit. The surveillance of one of the accused had started in March 2018. |
| Nea Filadelphia case | On the day of the arrests, when one of the comrades visited a cybercafé that was probably under police surveillance, cops recognized him and started following him[4]. He then moved through the streets of Athens for a few hours, gradually joining the other comrades — some of whom were wanted by the cops[5] — and all of them were arrested. |
| Case against Jeff Luers | On the night of the June arson, the arsonists were being tailed by a surveillance team — police officers in one or more unmarked cars — as they drove to the arson site[6]. They parked their car close to the arson site, watched by the surveillance team. They got out of their car to continue on foot, at which point the surveillance team lost sight of them. They ran back to their car 10 minutes later, at which point the surveillance team regained sight of them. They drove away from the arson site. More than an hour later, the surveillance team — still tailing the arsonists — heard on the police radio system about a fire at the arson site and asked local police officers to stop the arsonists' car, suspecting that they were involved in the fire. Half an hour later, when fire investigators at the arson site reported that they believed the fire had been set intentionally, the arsonists were arrested. |