Surveillance Detection

O'Gara professionals have an unmatched depth of expertise in surveillance detection. They are considered subject matter experts based on numerous years of practical field experience from previous employment with federal agencies responsible for foreign and domestic counterterrorism programs. We currently provide ongoing support to the U.S. Department of State ensuring over 250 U.S. Embassies are protected against terrorist attacks though our Surveillance Detection program.

The purpose of a surveillance detection program is to enhance the prospects of preventing a terrorist act by recognizing pre-operational hostile surveillance directed against government facilities and personnel, business facilities, critical infrastructure, high profile special events, and/or key executive personnel. Terrorists conduct pre-operational surveillance to determine the suitability of a target for attack. It is known that the pre-operational surveillance conducted prior to the bombings of the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 most likely occurred during several years prior to the attacks. Target surveillance can be long-term. Ultimately, terrorists identify the point of greatest vulnerability for an attack. However, they invariably make mistakes and an effective surveillance detection program can identify and exploit these mistakes.

Our staff will conduct training for authorized personnel designated to participate in a Surveillance Detection Program within their respective agencies. Training courses will include both classroom instruction and practical field exercises.

Course Information

Instructors will brief participants on the indicators of pre-operational hostile surveillance, techniques for effective detection of these activities, methods of reporting and analysis of information, and procedures for facilitating direct response actions by authorized personnel. Participants will get the opportunity to demonstrate lessons learned in the classroom as they assume surveillance detection roles out in the field as practical exercises are conducted. Skills obtained during training will enhance the ability to protect government facilities and personnel, business facilities, critical infrastructure, high profile special events, and/or key executive personnel for all types of threat conditions.

The focus of a good program identifies indicators of terrorist surveillance activities, distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary in the process, report suspicious activity, analyze the information collected, and ultimately disrupt or prevent an attack before the terrorists enter their operational phase. The key to success is keen observation by the surveillance detection team members, timely and accurate reporting of suspicious activities and incidents, use of a database in the information collection process, and solid analysis of the data that is reported. There must be an analytical component in the program to discern trends, irregularities, and unusual activity from the information reported by team members in the field.