Are The Paparrazi Becoming Too Dangerous??

Are the Paparazzi Becoming Too Dangerous?
An article that appeared in 'The Circuit' Magazine.2009.

By Hans Van Beuge & Elijah Shaw
NABA Members.

Celebrity worship seems to be the fastest growing religion in the world. In our secular society it seems the need for traditional worship has been displaced and replaced with an obsession for idolizing celebrities.

Publications, TV programs and internet sites such as People, The Star, The National Enquirer, The Globe, US Weekly, OK!, In Touch, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Access Hollywood, TMZ, Hollywood. TV, Splash and about another 1,200 celebrity news sites in the US alone, all feed our insatiable addiction for celebrity culture.

And if keeping with the religious allegory then the apostles of celebrity worship -- ones that fuel this aggressive, global, billion dollar industry-- are the Paparazzi; The freelance photographers who relentlessly and intrusively pursue the famous, record their every move, and supply the avalanche of banal and insignificant details to the media outlets.

Roaming worldwide, the paparazzi have had few legal restraints imposed upon them. They justify their often-illegal activities by citing the rights of freedom of the press and free speech. Rights guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States by the First Amendment as well as similar laws (or lack thereof) in other nations.

The paparazzi first gained notoriety in those La Dolce Vita days (the term paparazzi originated in this famous Fellini film) of the late 1950’s when Italian snappers were racing around Rome’s Via Veneto on Lambretta motor scooters, photographing the rich and famous.

These early paparazzi soon discovered that provoking a celebrity and having a colleague take a photo of the celebrity’s reaction was worth more money than the traditionally posed glamour shots. The concept of the more invasive paparazzi photographers replacing the old school photojournalists soon followed in the US, UK and France.

In 1997 the authorities and the general public finally realized how out of control the paparazzi had become. Although cleared of culpability, the paparazzi were clearly complicit in the fatal car accident that caused the death of Princess Diana. This incident also affected the public perception of protection agents and divided members of our community on how it could have been prevented.
As Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, poignantly expressed the day after her death,” I always believed the press would kill her in the end, but not even I could imagine they’d take such a direct hand in her death, as seems to be the case. It would appear that every proprietor and editor of every publication that has paid for intrusive and exploitative photographs of her, encouraging greedy and ruthless individuals to risk everything in pursuit of Diana’s image, has blood on his hands to-day.”

After Princess Diana’s death, limited laws protecting the rights to privacy for individuals were enacted in France and Germany. The tabloids and the paparazzi avoided controversy for a while at least until the outcry over Diana’s death passed.
However, over the past few years a new breed of aggressive and intrusive paparazzo has evolved, and they are responsible for escalating the degree of danger into the duel between celebrities and those who photograph them for profit.
Technology, competition, profits and a lack of industry regulation are the reasons why the paparazzi started to behave like something out of the Wild West.
With the new generation of digital cameras and video recorders literally any one can take a professional shot. The photographic skills of the older generation of paparazzi became redundant.

In the past few years the number of paparazzi has increased enormously. Los Angeles for instance had a couple of dozen consistently working paparazzi about five years ago. Now there are be over two hundred. The tabloids are willing to pay six figure pay-offs for a “unique” shot. By “unique” they mean something that portrays the celebrity negatively such as having a car accident, appearing drunk, overweight, angry, unattractive or disheveled.

The lucrative money resulted in an increase in the numbers chasing the big payday, which in turn made it more competitive. To succeed now as a paparazzi you need to be far more aggressive, not just in pursuing your subject but in also in beating the competition. With no licensing or accreditation necessary to operate, we have seen an increase in the number of people with violent criminal records working as paparazzi.

In the US one particular paparazzi agency is named after an L.A. street gang the owner of the agency belonged to as a teenager. He trains other ‘reformed’ gang members in the business. Other agencies use foreigners working on questionable visas. Photographers are hired less for their camera skills than their ability to navigate the rough-and-tumble of the celebrity chase.

A much more accurate term to describe the newer breed of paparazzi is ‘stalkerazzi’. They usually work in teams and will stay hunting their celebrity targets 24/7. Often driving rental cars, obscuring their license plates or using aliases to hide their identities or connections to the big agencies that control much of the market, these stalkerazzi are willing to run red lights or force celebrities off the road to get a photo, with a total disregard for public safety.

It seems as if the lesson of Princess Diana’s death has been forgotten.
The vehicular pursuit of celebrities, which are called ‘follows’ often devolve into dangerous high speed convoys and are certainly the most reprehensible activity the paparazzi commit. Follows become especially dangerous when competing teams are after the same quarry. Often there can be up to thirty SUV’s (the vehicle of choice) involved, all jockeying for the best position. The desire to get the money shot leads to a flagrant disregard for any road rules including speed limits, red lights and driving on the wrong side of the street. When they have followed their target to the destination, they generally discard their vehicles on the roadway and swarm all over the target vehicle ‘hosing’ down the target with cameras on full auto. The rights of passage are denied to both the target and any passers by and they will frequently start fighting amongst themselves like sharks in a feeding frenzy.
When this ‘hosing’ is done at night in conjunction with a camera flash, the effect is like having 30 Surefire flashlights shined in your eyes. It’s painful and you completely lose your night vision and it is obviously extremely dangerous to the driver, passengers and any other vehicle or person near the vehicle they have surrounded.
(The term ‘hosing’ is one the paparazzi proudly use and is deliberately meant to convey the sense of indignity and helplessness a naked prisoner feels when they are hit by a high-pressure hose.)

Recently in Los Angles, the paparazzi have been involved in several car accidents with celebrities including Nicole Ritchie, Brad Pitt and the late Michael Jackson’s family whilst on the ‘follow’. They were also implicated in providing information to a gang that was burglarizing celebrity’s homes and one paparazzo got into a punch up with Mike Tyson at LAX after he was harassing Tyson’s family.

Meanwhile in Italy, the owner of paparazzi agency was put on trial for blackmailing politicians and celebrities with the photos his agency took.
It’s obvious that the Paparazzi industry is completely incapable of self-regulation or establishing an effective code of ethics. Authorities need to enact legislation to protect the safety and privacy of both the public and famous individuals from their irresponsible behavior. The question of how to balance freedom of the press versus the basic right to a reasonable degree of privacy needs to be addressed and defined.

There needs to be a clearer definition of what is ‘newsworthy’ and what is just intrusive gossip. Virtually all paparazzi photographs and video are of high profile people doing very mundane, everyday activities – taking the children to the park, shopping, eating, walking or driving. None of which could be reasonably defined as newsworthy or having social value.

Last month, California Governor Schwarzenegger signed a new law, Assembly Bill 524, to discourage paparazzi misconduct by allowing tabloid or other publishers to be sued for using images or sound recordings that they knew were obtained violently or illegally.
California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who proposed the new law, was quoted as saying, "Out-of-control paparazzi are an increasing threat, not only to the celebrities they stalk but to the public at large if they happen to get in their way."

The following are quotes from the text of the new law:
“The Legislature finds and declares all of the following,
*Individuals and their families have been harassed and endangered by being persistantly followed or chased in a manner that puts them in a reasonable fear of bodily injury,and in danger of serious bodily injury or even death, by photographers, videographers, and audio recorders attempting to capture images or other reproductions of their private lives for commercial purposes.
*The ligitimate privacy interests of individuals and their families have been violated by photographers, videographers, and audio recorders who physically tresspass in order to capture images or other reproductions of their private lives for commercial purposes…
*Such harassment and tresspass threaten not only professional public persons and their families, but also private persons and families for whom personal tragedies or circumstances beyond their control create media interest.
*There is no right, under the United States Constitution or the California Constitution, to persistently follow or chase another in a manner that creates a reasonable fear of bodily injury, to trespass, or to constructively trespass through the use of intrusive visual or auditory enhancement devices.
*The right to privacy and respect for private lives of individuals and their families must be balanced against the right of the media to gather and report news.


The right of a free press to report details of an individual’s private life must be weighed against the rights of the individual to enjoy liberty and privacy.
Opponents of the bill say that it violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, the law does not target the content of free speech; rather, it targets the conduct used to gather information when performed in an illegal manner.

This law is certainly a positive step in curtailing the illegal and intruisive activities of the paparazzi. One that with positive support might lead other States and indeed Nations to enact similar legislation.

The drafting of legislation, or establishing legal precedent as to a persons legal right to where their likeness can be used is the most effective way to curtail the power of the paparazzi.This already exists in commercial law where the right to use someones likeness for commercial purpose must be granted by that individual.

Tabloids only publish photo’s of famous individuals in their magazines so they can sell them for monetary gain so commercial law should be applicable.
Legislation needs to ensure that:

*No photos or videos of children should be taken or broadcasted without the written consent of the parent.
*No photos or videos of individuals clearly participating in a non newsworthy private matter such as a vacation, exercise, eating, at school, at home, at a funeral or wedding should be taken or broadcast without the written consent of the individual involved.
*There should be ‘no go’ areas for paparazzi around certain instititutions where reasonable privacy should be expected. This would include but not be limited to schools, hospitals, cemeteries,residences and places of worship.

Other methods that could be implemented to bring the paparazzi under control include forcing them to be licenced by reputable agencies with uniform standards and Codes of Conduct in the State or Country they are operating in.The Code of Conduct should be enforceable by law or a public entity.

To be accredited would entail having a background check to ensure no serious criminal convictions, proof of proper legal documentation and insurance to cover public liability.

They should also have to wear official accredition/licence whilst working and provide such identification to any member of the public when requested and all vehicle’s they are in whilst working must have number plates attached.
Ironically, providing services that protect famous individuals from aggressive media intrusions and protecting them from the pathalogically fixated individuals whose fantasies are fueled by their products,is a major source of revenue for those of us in the private protection sector.

With that said, many an encounter with the paparazzi,-- and the actions taken from security personel to shield the VIP has resulted in even more negative attention being produced for said celebrity.
A YouTube search for “… versus paparazzi” will yeild you a laundry list of videos, with over half of them invoving close protection staff who often use approaches that, were they off camera, might just be a control tactic, but under the harsh glare of the photo lenze or edited down to a 20 second clip make the bodyguard look thugish and unprofessioinal.

Bad press and public perception aside, what happens when the protection agent has comitted all his resources to “paparazzi watch” on behalf of his client, when our mandate should be protection of the client from any and all threats? Does that narrow our focus so much that at the moment of truth our attention is on a money hungry cameraman that we miss the knife of the assalant in the crowd? One hopes the answer is no, but unfortunatlly the current state of affairs the likelyhood of that increases exponentially.

In the end, security professionals have a duty of care for our clients and in a broader sense, the public. Advocating restrictions being placed on the way the paparazzi industry operates to ensure public safety and a more civilised society helps stengthen our circle of client protection.

Self Defence Or Self Delusion?

Although the discipline of self-defense should be important to every-one, it must be of paramount importance to Bodyguards. A Bodyguard has by choice decided to potentially put him self in harms way. He may have to fight for his life, or to defend the life of his Client.

Experts such as Robert Redenbach and John Ellery have written excellent publications in relation to the tactics, mind set and training needed to prevail in ‘non sport’ violence.
However, there is a much over looked area in the art of self-defense.

In over thirty years of working in Protection, I can only personally recall a few operators who have died or were seriously injured through targeted or random acts of violence. In addition, most of those were working in hostile, high risk regions.

I have known many more that have died from other causes, far more insidious, deadly causes.

Imagine compiling a Risk Assessment for a client and let’s say you could identify three or four factors that they would be exposed to that in combination killed in excess of 100,000 people per year. Wouldn’t it be foolish and negligent not to implement strategies to avoid or minimize the risks from those factors?

Well those factors are not imaginary. They are very real and also very avoidable. I’m sure you have realized by now, those deadly factors are;
Heart disease, Cancer, Hypertension and Obesity related illnesses.

All of them very preventable and far more likely to cause you harm than a violent encounter.

It has always confounded me to see morbidly obese Bodyguards (who often combine obesity with smoking) working assignments.

These people are walking contradictions. They are choosing to ignore the very things that are most likely to harm them. They are jeopardizing not only themselves but those they are tasked to protect.

In an aircraft emergency you are instructed to affix your own oxygen mask before assisting any one else.
Bodyguards should likewise ‘secure their own borders’ first before taking on the responsibility of protecting anyone else.

There’s no way around it. Being overweight and unfit is bad for your health. It is also a reflection of the flawed character of the person afflicted.
It is hard to convince others that you have a professional attitude towards duty of care when you obviously lack the desire to look after your own health.

Image projection is a very important aspect of the Bodyguards profession. The officer’s presence is the first stage in the force continuum. A fit, vigorous looking Bodyguard is going to have great deterrent value which greatly assists counterpredation.
A soft, unconditioned Bodyguard looks vulnerable, this causes an increased risk factor in relation to victimology.
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I know of competent Bodyguards who are overweight. However, I would argue that they would even be far more effective at their job if they got into condition. Their excess weight also limits the variety of tasks that they can perform.

‘Vertx’ the tactical clothing outfitters have come up with the term ‘Operational Athlete’. I think this perfectly defines what a Protection Agent should aspire to.
‘Vertex’ defines the Operational Athlete as “like no other athlete on earth. They receive no preparation time before their event. They become aware of the physical requirements of that event as they unfold. They have little information for the ground that event will be played on, the temperature it will be played at or the duration of time it will cover. But what does that mean in terms of how they prepare?
It means that the operational athlete has to prepare for literally everything. All the traditional athletic avenues: strength, power, endurance, flexibility and agility. The difference is the proportion. A marathoner does not have the same physical requirements as a football player, therefore while there may be some crossover in their training methodologies, the proportionate times are relative to the activity of choice.
The Operational Athlete has no such specificity. The Operational Athlete must be agile and powerful, with a high strength-to-mass ratio. He or she must also have good cardiovascular endurance. Both are requirements of the job and both may aid in a life-saving situation (be it someone else’s or their own). They must be concerned with injury prevention and reactivity to ensure career longevity. They must be able to come out of long periods of idle behavior without fear of their body failing them. The Operational Athlete must have the work capacity to perform a variety of tasks successfully in order to do their job well. He or she must be able to cover ground quickly and efficiently, jump, climb, dive, crawl, duck, evade, grapple, pursue and any number of other movement descriptions at any given time.
Training methods commonly learned early on or through traditional mass-media are not as effective for the Operational Athlete. Training for them is not about look or performance (though both are side benefits), but about lifestyle. Excess bulk will only serve to slow them down, but minimal mass will not allow them a level playing field with heavier opponents. The ability to maneuver with equipment and kit must also be a concern, so solid core strength must be included in training. The creation of strength and power can be achieved without the addition of excess mass by improving the body’s ability to overcome force from a variety of angles and overcoming instability in body position or contact points.”


Health, fitness, correct diet and adequate sleep also assist in promoting cognitive function/reaction, an area of vital importance to the Bodyguard.

There is no great mystery as to how we can remain healthy and increase our longevity. The important components are; nutrition, aerobic conditioning, resistance training, flexibility, stress management, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol and caffeine intake.

Nutrition is vital in preventing premature bad health and disease. Approximately 75% of weight loss or gain is dependant on dietary intake. Currently, obesity is ballooning in the Western World.
We are suffering an epidemic of overweight children and adults People are finding comfort in the overwhelming presence of others of a similar structure and countenance. They try to convince themselves about the normalcy of corpulence.
However if you are obese you are three times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and have a higher rate of contracting serious illnesses such as diabetes and certain cancers. The solution to this epidemic is in what and how much we eat.

The precious fresh fruits, vegetables and hearty proteins that nourish our bodies have lost their appeal and have been replaced by sugar, fat, worthless carbohydrates and chemicals in take-away packaging.

If you are confused consult a dietician and work out an eating plan. Take the time to learn about nutrition. Most people know more about running their car than they do about their body. However your body is the vehicle that you travel in through life’s journey.
If you don’t look after your body where are you going to live?

Don’t just focus on how much you weigh but rather on what your weight is made up of. Have a body fat test. See what percentage of your weight is muscle and what’s fat. A healthy range is 15% body fat for males and 25% for females.

Aerobic Conditioning is achieved by running, power walking, swimming, cycling, skipping or any other activity that gets the heart pumping at about 70% maximum (approx 170 beats per minute minus your age) for at least 30 minutes three to four times per week. This greatly improves your cardio vascular system and helps reduce body fat.

Resistance Training is achieved by doing weights or exercises such as chin-ups, dips, push-ups and hop drops that use your own body weight as resistance. They increase muscle tone giving you more strength and aid in preventing osteoporosis of the bones.
Consult a personal trainer who can help you work out a simple but effective programme .You don’t have to work out with the intensity of a chemically enhanced mirror athlete. A thirty minute session three times a week will give you a functional increase in core body strength.

Flexibility is essential for maintaining range of movement and correct posture. Yoga or simple stretching exercises achieve this in 10 minutes daily.

Compare your fitness level with those recommended by the Cooper Institute. The Cooper Institute has developed a scientifically valid battery of physical tests that relate to an individuals ability to perform essential functions within a Law Enforcement or Public safety job.
(web: www.cooperinst.org/lawenf.asp )

In the United States their standards are used by many Federal and State law enforcement agencies and some larger private security firms, in the selection and annual physical evaluation testing of their officers. Doing so protects the Agency or company from litigation ensuring that some-one who is physically incapable of adequately performing L/E or security related tasks is not employed. This not only helps protect the public but also the candidate. Being physically capable of performing all job related tasks obviously reduces the amount of risk an officer would face..
The tests are scientifically based yet simple and are non age or gender specific.

Stress management is finally being recognized as a health preserver. The hectic pace of modern life impacts our health by lowering our resistance to disease and making us more vulnerable to illness. Hypertension, heart disease, chronic fatigue, certain cancers and ulcers have all been linked to stress. Our body responds to emotional stress the same way it reacts to physical danger. When we feel the effects of stress our health is compromised by the primitive flight or fight response that produces stress hormones even when we are not in immediate danger.
Our bodies are not designed to be flooded with the toxic chemicals produced, by the constant state of sympathetic nervous system activation..

Meditation is wonderful for relieving stress as is yoga and exercise.
Exercise burns off stress hormones helping us to relax. It is a healthy alternative to alcohol and drugs which only mask and eventually exacerbate the problem.

Cigarette Smoking is responsible for more deaths per year than anything else. View it as a slow and painful form of suicide and totally avoid it.

Minimize Alcohol Consumption. It has a detrimental affect on the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. It is also a major factor in accidental deaths.

Caffeine is a drug found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate. Limit your daily intake. Caffeine can cause behavioral problems such as irritability, nervousness, headaches, sleeping disorders and depression. Physiological problems include doubling the risk of bladder cancer and increasing the growth of tumors caused by other carcinogens.

Self defense can really be viewed as self preservation. Although we cannot preserve life itself, we can preserve extra time in life.
Defensive tactics, martial arts and weapon craft are all essential skills that the Bodyguard needs to master.
In the High-Risk areas of Protection, developing and maintaining these skills almost becomes a full time job in itself.
However these skills must first be built on a foundation of health and fitness.

Good health protects us from our most likely enemies and should be the first priority in any Protection Specialists skill sets

Situational awareness is a mindset that can — and should — be practiced by everyone. All criminals and terrorists follow a process when planning their acts and this process is visible at certain times to people who are watching for such behavior.
When one considers these facts, it inevitably leads to the question: “What in the world am I looking for?” The brief answer is: “warning signs of criminal or terrorist behavior.” Since this brief answer is very vague, it becomes necessary to describe the behavior in more detail.

Surveillance
It is important to make one fundamental point clear up front. The operational behavior that most commonly exposes a person planning a criminal or terrorist act to scrutiny by the intended target is surveillance. Other portions of the planning process can be conducted elsewhere, especially in the age of the Internet, when so much information is available online. From an operational standpoint, however, there simply is no substitute for having eyes on the potential target. In military terms, surveillance is often called reconnaissance, and in a criminal context it is often referred to as casing or scoping out. Environmental activist and animal rights groups trained by the Ruckus Society refer to it as “scouting.” No matter what terminology is being used for the activity, it is meant to accomplish the same objective: assessing a potential target for value, vulnerabilities and potential security measures. Surveillance is required so that criminals can conduct a cost-benefit analysis.

The amount of time devoted to the criminal surveillance process will vary, depending on the type of crime and the type of criminal involved. A criminal who operates like an ambush predator, such as a purse-snatcher, may lie in wait for a suitable target to come within striking distance. This is akin to a crocodile lying in a watering hole waiting for an animal to come and get a drink. The criminal will have only a few seconds to size up the potential target and conduct the cost-benefit calculation before formulating his plan, getting ready and striking.
On the other extreme are the criminals who behave more like stalking predators. Such a criminal is like a lion on the savannah that carefully looks over the herd and selects a vulnerable animal believed to be the easiest to take down. A criminal who operates like a stalking predator, such as a kidnapper or terrorist, may select a suitable target and then take days or even weeks to follow the target, assess its vulnerabilities and determine if the potential take is worth the risk. Normally, stalking criminals will prey only on targets they feel are vulnerable and can be successfully hit, although they will occasionally take bigger risks on high-value targets.

Of course, there are many other criminals who fall somewhere in the middle, and they may take anywhere from a few minute to several hours to watch a potential target. Regardless of the time spent observing the target, all criminals will conduct this surveillance and they are vulnerable to detection during this time.
Given that surveillance is so widely practiced, it is quite amazing to consider that, in general, criminals and terrorists are terrible at conducting surveillance. There are some exceptions, such as the relatively sophisticated surveillance performed by Greenpeace and some of the other groups trained by the Ruckus Society, or the low-key and highly detailed surveillance performed by some high-end art and jewelry thieves, but such surveillance is the exception rather than the rule.

The term “tradecraft” is an espionage term that refers to techniques and procedures used in the field, but term also implies quite a bit of finesse in the practice of these techniques. Tradecraft, then, is really more of an art rather than a science, and surveillance tradecraft is no exception. Like playing the violin or fencing with a foil, it takes time and practice to become a skilled surveillance practitioner. Most individuals involved in criminal and terrorist activity simply do not devote the time necessary to master this skill. Because of this, they have terrible technique, use sloppy procedures and lack finesse when they are watching people.

Although everybody planning a criminal or terrorist attack conducts preoperational surveillance, that does not necessarily mean they are good at it. The simple truth is that these individuals are able to get by with such a poor level of surveillance tradecraft because most victims simply are not looking for them. And this is where we tie the discussion back into last week’s Security Weekly. Most people do not practice situational awareness. For those who do, the poor surveillance tradecraft exhibited by criminals is good news. It gives them time to avoid an immediate threat and contact the authorities.

Demeanor Is the Key
The behavior a person needs to outwardly display in order to master the art of surveillance tradecraft is called good demeanor. Good demeanor is not intuitive. In fact, the things one has to do to maintain good demeanor frequently run counter to human nature. Because of this, intelligence and security professionals who work surveillance operations receive extensive training that includes many hours of heavily critiqued practical exercises, often followed by field training with a team of experienced surveillance professionals. This training teaches and reinforces good demeanor. Criminals and terrorists do not receive this type of training and, as a result, bad surveillance tradecraft has long proved to be an Achilles’ heel for terrorist and criminal organizations.

Surveillance is an unnatural activity, and a person doing it must deal with strong feelings of self-consciousness and of being out of place. People conducting surveillance frequently suffer from what is called “burn syndrome,” the erroneous belief that the people they are watching have spotted them. Feeling “burned” will cause surveillants to do unnatural things, such as suddenly ducking back into a doorway or turning around abruptly when they unexpectedly come face to face with the target. People inexperienced in the art of surveillance find it difficult to control this natural reaction. Even experienced surveillance operatives occasionally have the feeling of being burned; the difference is they have received a lot of training and they are better able to control their reaction and work through it. They are able to maintain a normal looking demeanor while their insides are screaming that the person they are surveilling has seen them.

In addition to doing something unnatural or stupid when feeling burned, another very common mistake made by amateurs when conducting surveillance is the failure to get into proper “character” for the job or, when in character, appearing in places or carrying out activities that are incongruent with the character’s “costume.” The terms used to describe these role-playing aspects of surveillance are “cover for status” and “cover for action.” Cover for status is a person’s purported identity — his costume. A person can pretend to be a student, a businessman, a repairman, etc. Cover for action explains why the person is doing what he or she is doing — why that guy has been standing on that street corner for half an hour.

The purpose of using good cover for action and cover for status is to make the presence of the person conducting the surveillance look routine and normal. When done right, the surveillance operative fits in with the mental snapshot subconsciously taken by the target as the target goes about his or her business. Inexperienced people who conduct surveillance frequently do not use good cover for action or cover for status, and they can be easily detected.
An example of bad cover for status would be someone dressed as “a businessman” walking in the woods or at the beach. An example of bad cover for action is someone pretending to be sitting at a bus stop who remains at that bus stop even when several buses have passed. But mostly, malefactors conducting surveillance practice little or no cover for action or cover for status. They just lurk and look totally out of place. There is no apparent reason for them to be where they are and doing what they are doing.

In addition to “plain old lurking,” other giveaways include a person moving when the target moves, communicating when the target moves, avoiding eye contact with the target, making sudden turns or stops, or even using hand signals to communicate with other members of a surveillance team or criminal gang. Surveillants also can tip off the person they are watching by entering or leaving a building immediately after the person they are watching or simply by running in street clothes. Sometimes, people who are experiencing the burn syndrome exhibit almost imperceptible behaviors that the target can sense more than observe. It may not be something that can be articulated, but the target just gets the gut feeling that there is something wrong or odd about the way a certain person behaves. Innocent bystanders who are not watching someone usually do not exhibit this behavior or trigger these feelings.

The U.S. government often uses the acronym “TEDD” to illustrate the principles that can be used to identify surveillance conducted by counterintelligence agencies, but these same principles also can be used to identify criminal and terrorist surveillance. TEDD stands for time, environment, distance and demeanor. In other words, if a person sees someone repeatedly over time, in different environments and over distance, or someone who displays poor surveillance demeanor, then that person can assume he or she is under surveillance. If a person is being specifically targeted for a planned attack, he or she might be exposed to the time, environment and distance elements of TEDD, but if the subway car the person is riding in or the building where the person works is the target, he or she might only have the demeanor of the attacker to key on because the attacker will not be seen by the observer over time and distance or in different environments. Time, environment and distance are also not applicable in cases involving criminals who behave like ambush predators. Therefore, when we are talking about criminal surveillance, demeanor is the most critical of the four elements. Demeanor will also often work in tandem with the other elements, and poor demeanor will often help the target spot the surveillant at different times and places.

In a situation where a building or subway car is targeted for an attack rather than a specific person, there are still a number of demeanor indicators that can be observed just prior to the attack. Such indicators include people wearing unseasonable clothing in warm weather (such as trench coats); people with odd bulges under their clothing or wires sticking out from their clothing; people who are sweating profusely, mumbling or fidgeting; people who appear to be attempting to avoid security personnel; and people who simply appear to be out of place. According to many reports, suicide attackers will often exhibit an intense stare as they approach the final stage of their attack plan. While not every person exhibiting such behavior is a suicide bomber or shooter, avoiding such a person rarely has much of a downside.

One technique that can be helpful in looking for people conducting long-term surveillance is to identify places that provide optimal visibility of a critical place the surveillant would want to watch (for example, the front door of a potential target’s residence or office). These optimal observation points are often referred to as “perches” in surveillance jargon. Perches can then be watched for signs of hostile surveillance like people who don’t belong there, people making demeanor mistakes, etc.

This principle can also be extended to critical points along frequently and predictably traveled routes. Potential targets can conduct simple pattern and route analyses to determine where along the route they are most predictable and vulnerable. Route analysis looks for vulnerabilities, or choke points, on a particular route of travel. Choke points have two main characteristics: They are places where the potential target must travel and where rapid forward motion is difficult (such as sharp, blind curves). When a choke point provides a place where hostiles can wait with impunity for their victims and have access to a rapid escape route, the choke point becomes a potential attack site. These characteristics are found in attack sites used by highly professional kidnap/assassination teams and by criminal “ambush predators” such as carjackers. While the ideal tactic is to vary routes and times to avoid predictable locations, this is also difficult and disruptive and is warranted only when the threat is high. A more practical alternative is for potential targets to raise their situational awareness a notch as they travel through such areas at predictable times in order to be on the alert for potential hostile surveillance or signs of an impending attack.

The fact that operatives conducting surveillance over an extended period of time can change their clothing and wear hats, wigs or other light disguises — and use different vehicles or license plates — also demonstrates why watching for mistakes in demeanor is critical. Of course, the use of disguises is also an indicator that the surveillants are more advanced and therefore potentially more dangerous. Because of a surveillant’s ability to make superficial changes in appearance, it is important to focus on the things that cannot be changed as easily as clothing or hair, such as a person’s facial features, build, mannerisms and gait. Additionally, while a surveillant can change the license plate on a car, it is not as easy to alter other aspects of the vehicle such as body damage (scratches and dents). Paying attention to small details can produce significant results over time.

As we noted last week — and it is worth repeating here — paying attention to details and practicing situational awareness does not mean being paranoid or obsessively concerned about security. When people live in a state of paranoia, looking for a criminal behind every bush, they become mentally and physically exhausted. Not only is this dangerous to one’s physical and mental health, but security also suffers because it is very hard to be aware of your surroundings when you are exhausted. Therefore, while it is important to watch for the watchers, watching should not involve feelings of fear or paranoia. Knowing what is occurring in the world around them empowers people and gives them a sense of security and well-being, allowing them to spot the good things in life as well as the potential dangers.

"This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR"