Mobile Surveillance: Dealing with Bystanders

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Frank Torres and I'm here on behalf of Expert Village. And this segment is about dealing with bystanders while performing mobile surveillance. Bystanders, they're a part of the job. People seem to have a sixth sense of when things are out of place in their neighborhood. The first point is to, or the first tip is to stay calm when getting approached by these innocent bystanders. They could be children, they can be concerned members of the community, and they can be a lot of people. And keep in mind you'd probably be suspicious too if you had a suspicious vehicle parked in your neighborhood that you didn't recognize. So the first step is you'll want to stay calm. The next thing you'll want to do is come up with an excuse. Whatever you do, do not admit you are a private investigator. If you admit your a private investigator, then you've pretty much earned yourself a pink slip for whatever organization that you work for. Do not admit you are a P.I. Come up with any excuse, tell them you?re a process server waiting to serve someone in the neighborhood. Tell them you?re a friend waiting for someone to get home. Give them anything. And if you happen to be on someone?s property and they ask you to move, go ahead and move and find another observation point where you can tape your subject. But do not admit your a private investigator."