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Secrets Of Surveillance: A Professional's Guide To Tailing Subjects By Vehicle, Foot, Airplane, And Public Transportation Paperback – January 1, 1993

by Acm IV Security Services (Author)

4.3 52 ratings

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Pros know that the real secret of surveillance lies in the skill of the operators, not in high-tech gadgets. This book is for the true practitioners of the craft. It focuses on tactics that can only be learned from stalking the streets and standing in the shadows.

Print length

248 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Paladin Pr
Publication date

January 1, 1993
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

087364722X
ISBN-13

978-0873647229
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Paladin Pr; F First Edition Used (January 1, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 087364722X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0873647229
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,470,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,032 in Catalogs & Directories (Books)
- #2,258 in Social Services & Welfare (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 52 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

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Ratboy's Review

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2011

Verified Purchase

This book seems to be very much to the point, in my opinion. There is not a lot of padding like some books in the genre. Very practical. Some things seem to me obvious, but there are lots of those delicious little tid-bits that make you say to yourself, "wow, I should've thought of that myself" - but never did. The book is not written in 'jargon', but uses everyday language anyone can understand, and it is easy to remember. There are diagrams that make things clear. I think this is quite a good book.

One person found this helpful

A highly recommended read

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2006

Verified Purchase

I work plainclothes in law enforcement and found this book to be very practical. I thought it was very well written. I can tell that the author has to have real world experience because only somebody who's worked the streets could lay this out so clearly. I picked up some very useful tips that my team either never knew or just overlooked. I highly reccomend this book to anyone in a related field. I would've liked a little more detail on establishing a good

observation post. And it is a little heavy on the unlimited resource end like the 4 member teams and the communications vest. Other than that it was definitely worth the read.

7 people found this helpful

Could have been better...

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2007

Verified Purchase

This book is OK, but all the information is described in huge blocks of hard to follow copy with very few diagrams or case studies. You could probably get the same quality of stuff from an open-source search on Google. The methods described are at a basic to intermediate level.

I bought 'Advanced Surveillance" by Peter Jenkins as well and would recommend you buy it instead. You'll get far more value for your money! The techniques in this book (Advanced Surveillance) are at a far higher level and are described in more detail with lots of diagrams, case studies and examples.

12 people found this helpful

This is the book big business doesn't want you to read.

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2012

Verified Purchase

Involved in a lawsuit? Filed an insurance claim? Getting close to qualifying for that pension? Are you a whistle blower? These are all triggers for big business and corrupt officials to roll out their private army - better known as Private Investigators - against average law abiding citizens.

This book (and other ACM IV publications)are excellent sources to help identify Professional Stalkers employed by big money (and certain cults) and neutralize their illegal tactics.

Unless you plan on getting Ralph Nader vs General Motors lucky, you better read this book.

2 people found this helpful

Basic techniques, not very practical

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

The techniques covered in this book are written in the 90's with a basic outline of techniques used on a team of agents. Not very practical for one or two-man teams as I was expecting. Most of the techniques covered in this book, while requiring several operators, can in fact be performed by one or two people thanks mostly to advancements in technology.

In summary, this book has general information that can be tailored to your unique surveillance situation, however it is outdated and not the best resource for experienced professionals.

The best value anywhere on surveillance topics

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2010

Verified Purchase

ACM IV provides the finest product available at its price. Not only is the value worth the purchase of this book in and of itself, but the material is absolutely top notch.

During the course of my 25-year career, I spent my share of time conducting surveillances. I know many of the ins and outs.

The entire ACM IV series should be a part of every tradecraft professional's library. And the pages should be dog-eared.

4 people found this helpful

Interesting insights

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

Interesting insights

Very simple minded

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2000

Verified Purchase

First, this books does have some interesting ideas and is worth buying. However, it is written at an intelligence level that would insult a bright sixth grader. Also, it assumes you will have half a dozen people involved in the surveillance of one person and is not aimed at an individual working at surveillance alone.

43 people found this helpful

john van steenkiste

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

GREAT PRODUCT - GREAT SELLER

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

A must read for the serious security professional.

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

very interesting

Gregory A. Posey

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

Excellent condition. Really good book.

steven ouellette

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2014

Verified Purchase

Satisfied

Of Little Value To Private Investigators...

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2004

As a licensed private investigator, college instructor of private investigation courses, and an experienced covert surveillance operative, I can personally tell you that most of the techniques described in this book are of little value to private sector investigators like myself. The vast majority of techniques described assume that the "surveillance team" has an unlimited supply of resources and operatives (i.e. a law enforcement team). Anyone with even remote covert surveillance experience knows that this will seldom (more likely never) be the case.

Most private sector covert surveillance operatives (i.e. private investigators) work alone or in teams of two (when and only when the Client can afford it of course). Therefore, the vast majority of the techniques covered in this book are of little use to most private investigators. There is some (emphasis added) good information in this book, but certainly not what one would expect based on the title.

If you are looking for a title that actually contains useful (emphasis added) surveillance techniques/procedures, I would highly recommend: "Covert Surveillance: The Manual of Surveillance Training" by Peter Jenkins (ISBN: 0953537803). I have had the pleasure of reading this fine text, which I consider to be the only covert surveillance techniques/procedures book worth recommending. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a copy for purchase.

As always, check with your local library or bookstore to see if you can read/review this or any title before deciding to make a purchase. This method has effectively allowed me to make the most of my investigative library budget.

I hope you found this review helpful. [...]

78 people found this helpful

A few Words From the Author

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2005

The following is submitted by the author as a rebuttal to two of the Amazon.com customer reviews of this book:

In general, this book was written shortly after the conclusion of the Cold War, and in a large part intended to be a tribute to the legacy of the cloak and dagger intrigue that characterized that era. In those days we knew exactly who the enemy was. At the time, none of us could have predicted the emergent environment wherein the threats to U.S. citizens and interests proliferated significantly. This new reality has made the book more widely applicable to security professionals now then when it was originally published, which is the reason its sales have steadily increased over the years.

Although the review does state that the book is "worth buying", the three star review submitted by "RunAndShoot" criticizes the book for being written in a "simple" manner.

This book is not intended to entertain, it is intended to inform. A primary purpose for this book is that it be used as a training resource by security professionals. For this reason, it is written in a very detailed and straight forward manner. The feedback received from security professionals is that the book conveys very complex techniques in a manner that is easily understood, and easily translated into training programs.

As to the two star review by "truthsleuthpi" that criticizes the book for being of "little value to private investigators" -- I do not question the reviewer's credentials, but it is misleading to give a publication a poor rating because it does not necessarily apply to the specific circumstance of a resource-constrained PI. In fact, the book clearly addresses the premise of the reviewer's critique in the preface as follows:

"A surveillance operation can be conducted from one extreme of detail to the other. This book instructs to the extreme of a fully integrated, systematic effort employed for extended periods of time with absolute discretion. Granted, the requirements of many readers may not reach this extreme, but the information herein will satisfy the objectives of surveillance at any point along the operational continuum. Although the degree of sophistication detailed in this book may not be necessary for many surveillance operations, any individuals with the expertise to operate at the extreme of sophistication can certainly adapt to any operational requirement."

Therefore, the book is criticized based on its relevance to one reader rather than its technical content. Also, one would assume that even those who operate on a small-scale level would take professional interest in how the world's elite operate. Despite some questionable contradictions, it appears that the reviewer does exercise innovation in that he uses book reviews at Amazon.com as a means to advertise for business.

The reviewers each have a perspective, but the facts are that this book is regarded as a "classic", has steadily increasing sales, is every bit as relevant today as the date it was published, and it is widely used as a training resource by such major professional security agencies as Wackenhut International.

Although the book has five star reviews and the author agrees with these ratings, this "review" is submitted with four stars because a rating is required, but the purpose of this rebuttal is to address specific reviewer issues and not impact the Amazon.com average customer review for this publication.

12 people found this helpful

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