SHADOWING

Shadowing, or more correctly speaking, keeping under surveillance some person, building or premises, is one of the most important branches of detective work. I know of many private and other cases wherein shadow work proved to be the only means of securing results. In my experience in handling and placing shadows, and in directing cases which necessitated shadow work, I have found that if one is to have any degree of success at shadowing, he should in the first place be a person not above medium height, of medium build, and preferably smooth shaven.

While at work the shadow should give out no intimation of being interested in what may be going on around him, although he should be at the same time alert and watchful and alive to everything that may transpire near him. The shadow should wear no conspicuous clothing, shoes or jewelry. Patience is the most important requisite to insure success in this branch of the work. While at work the shadow must never for an instant allow his attention to be detracted from the person or place he may be watching.

To my own discredit, I will relate how I once shadowed a woman for five weeks, hoping to be on hand when she would meet a certain person. I was purposely occupying at the time a room in a house across the street from where the woman lived, and from which point of vantage I was enabled to observe, unknown to her, when she left or entered the house. On the opportune night, when I should have been watchful and wide awake, I found, no doubt because of my long vigilance, that I had slept for ten or twelve minutes. Later I learned that the woman left her apartments during the few minutes that I had slept, and, with no intention on her part, gave me the slip.

In these days of fast trains, street cars, high powered automobiles and taxicabs, which offer swift means of travel, the detective when shadowing should be prepared at all times to cope with such conditions. He should ever keep in mind the fact that his subject, whether he or she be a criminal or not, is liable to travel in accordance with what his or her means will permit. On another page I will take up the matter of shadowing criminals, but will state here that the detective, unless he has had experience, should not undertake to shadow a person who may have reason to suspect being shadowed. It has been my experience that boys can accomplish the most when such persons are to be shadowed.

I have in mind a case where it was desired to have shadowed on a certain day, a woman who lived in an exclusive residential section of a large city. No man could have remained in the neighborhood in view of this woman’s home longer than half an hour until he would have attracted the attention of every person in the block. For this particular case two young boys were selected to do the shadowing. They proceeded to a point near the woman’s home, and apparently paying no attention to anyone, engaged in a game of marbles. When leaving her home the woman passed within a few feet of the boys and of course did not suspect their purpose. Three blocks distant the boys boarded the same car with her, and were thus enabled throughout the day to observe the woman’s every movement, and without having attracted her attention at any time.

We will suppose that it is desired to keep under surveillance an employee of a bank, office or store. It is advisable in such cases that the person to be shadowed shall at no time see the detective if it can be so arranged. In my experience I have found that under most conditions the following plan will be most feasible for taking up surveillance of such persons. The plan applies also to any other occupants of such places. A detective other than the one who is to do the shadowing should visit the place where the person to be shadowed is located. When making such a call the detective may use the pretext of having called to solicit insurance, or he may use any other pretext that will be suitable and which will not arouse suspicion.

While making such a call the detective must make the best of his opportunity to scrutinize the subject closely, and should make mental note of any peculiarities of the subject. The color of the subject’s hair should be noted; the shape of his ears, nose, etc. The detective should look for the hat rack, and according to the season of the year should endeavor to note the kind of hat, overcoat or coat the subject will wear when he or she leaves the building. Immediately after coming away from making his call upon the subject, the detective should convey to the one who will do the shadowing, a complete detailed description of the subject. Detectives should immediately write down such descriptions and should never trust them to memory. The reason for this will become apparent when the detective undertakes to pick out of five or six hundred, or possibly a thousand employees, some certain employee when he or she leaves a large factory or office building.

The detective who has seen and talked to the subject should remain near the logical exit from the building and when the subject comes out should designate him or her to the detective who will do the shadowing. Subject will then be shadowed by a person whom he or she has never seen, and whose purpose will probably not be suspected if noticed. Should the streets be crowded, the shadow, under ordinary circumstances, may keep quite close to the subject, but must at all times be governed by the number of pedestrians on the streets at the time as to how close to remain to the subject. The subject must not be lost sight of for an instant, as invariably, in private cases, clients expect to be advised of every movement of the person being shadowed. Therefore, should the subject stop in the street to talk to anyone, careful note should be made by the detective of such persons, so as to be able, at the end of the day’s work, to render a detailed description of every person with whom the subject may have talked or associated.

Care must be exercised by the detective when subjects board street cars. The detective should always endeavor to secure a seat in back of, and on the same side of the car that the subject sits. For the detective to sit anywhere in front of, or opposite the subject in a street car or railway coach would give the subject an opportunity to study his face and features, and which must be avoided. I know of a great many cases, however, when detectives boldly sat beside their subjects in street cars and by so doing were enabled to read letters and papers in the hands of the subjects, and even to engage them in conversation.

When shadowing is being done in large cities, detectives must pay close attention and use the best judgment when subjects enter large office buildings or department stores. As to office buildings it is usually desired to know at what office a subject may call, and in order to ascertain this to a certainty it is necessary that the detective enter the same elevator with subject and leave it at the same floor that subject does. While the subject proceeds to the office he or she intends to visit, the detective may pretend to have gotten off at the wrong floor, or may busy himself scanning the names on the various office doors. In cases of emergency it may become necessary to make a “fake” call at some office in order not to attract the attention of the subject.

After having made note of the office that the subject has entered, the detective may take up a position on the street or the main floor of the building and await the reappearance of the subject. Should there be more exits from the building than the detective can properly cover he should endeavor to obtain assistance. When subjects enter large department stores, which may have from one to four entrances, it is of course essential that the detective keep in close proximity to the subject at all times, whether a man or a woman. If the subject stops to make a purchase, or to make inquiry at some counter, the detective should do likewise at some nearby counter so as not to attract the attention of floor walkers or sales clerks. Often it becomes necessary for the detective to make purchases, but it is better to do this than risk losing the subject.

I know of countless cases wherein it was desired to have women shadowed in order to learn of their actions during an evening, but because of their having visited department stores in the afternoon detectives lost them and were not on hand to observe their movements in the evening.

Occasions often arise when subjects visit theaters while under surveillance. Very often it is desired to know with whom subjects visit such places. When a subject purchases his or her ticket the detective should make it a point to be next in line at the box office so as to see or overhear the kind of ticket bought. If successful in learning this, the detective can ask for a ticket in the same section, but one or two rows behind the subject, or in any other location that will serve his purpose.

Should the subject have previously secured his or her ticket and if it is necessary for the detective to ascertain if the subject is alone while in the theater, he may have to purchase several tickets until he locates the seat occupied by the subject. If a man or woman enters a theater alone, it must not be taken for granted that he or she is enjoying the performance alone. I have known many prominent men and women to meet clandestinely in theaters, although they did not enter or leave the theaters together. This is usually brought about by the man purchasing two tickets one or two days ahead and sending one by mail or otherwise to the woman; then, on the appointed night, they can occupy adjoining seats without entering or leaving the theater together.

When subjects visit railway ticket offices the detective can easily arrange to be near enough to overhear the point of destination, and then if desired can purchase transportation to the same point. In cases where subjects board trains without stopping to purchase tickets, the detective, if he cannot learn the subject’s point of destination from the gate man or through any other source, should be governed by the kind of train the subject boards. If the train be a local one it would be advisable to purchase a ticket to the end of the run and leave it at the station where the subject leaves it. If it be a through train and the destination of the subject is unknown, a ticket should be purchased or fare paid to the end of the first division; then, if necessary, to the end of the next division, and so on.

If it be desired to have a person kept under surveillance for any length of time, it is advisable that the detective secure lodging near the home of the subject. From there it will be possible to observe the subject going to and leaving his or her home. If practicable it is always best for the detective to remain off the streets and away from public view.

In the apprehension of criminals of all classes, records of private detective agencies and police departments in this and other countries show that in most cases more or less shadowing was resorted to in order to effect the arrest of the criminals, and also to establish their guilt. I know of a good many cases wherein careful and diligent shadowing was the only means by which “yeggs,” “hold-up” men, pickpockets, store thieves and others were “caught in the act” or “caught with the goods on them,” which in most cases is essential in order to insure convictions.

Some of the leading private detective agencies and most police departments in cities of any size, maintain and keep up, to a wonderful degree of perfection, photograph galleries which are commonly known as “rogues galleries,” and in which are kept photographs of all known criminals, provided an opportunity has been had to photograph them or to secure pictures of them. Along with these photographs detailed descriptions of the criminals are kept, also what are known as criminal histories which show the date and place of any previous arrest, the nature of crime committed, method of operating, term of sentence, etc. After a criminal has once been photographed his picture usually is well circulated and retained indefinitely, regardless of whether he remains in or out of prison.

We will take for instance a pickpocket, who in detective vernacular is known as a “dip”; or a safe blower, who in the same vernacular is known as a “yegg.” If he has been arrested or convicted at any time for one of these crimes his photograph very likely appears shortly afterwards in the rogues galleries throughout the country, it is reproduced on reward circulars and mailed broadcast over the country, or is shown in police and detective magazines published for the purpose. If, after serving a prison term, the criminal ventures to some large city, the chances are that he will not be there many days until he is “spotted” by some city or private detective, unless he is cautious and keeps under cover.

As a rule, when detectives see and recognize him, yet know of no crime that he may have recently committed, or of no charge that can be brought against him, they shadow him to ascertain where he “hangs out”; then endeavor to have him kept under constant surveillance. I might state here that in my opinion there are very few detectives or police chiefs used to dealing with criminals, who believe a criminal can or will reform. But regardless of this, it has been found by detectives long ago to be a good plan to keep track of the time of release of criminals from prison, and then to watch them closely until they may commit another crime.

I know of a good many cases where by this method detectives were enabled to catch their men in the act of committing a crime, or if they were not on hand or nearby when the crime was committed, as a result of their shadowing they knew just about where the criminal was at a given time and who would have been likely to commit such a crime; therefore they knew whom to look for. A good detective will make a study of the records of criminals and their methods of operating. It is a well known fact that every criminal has a distinctive manner of operating, and these distinctive features should be studied by detectives. Detectives should also make it a point to know, as far as possible, what known criminals are in their city at any time. Then if a store, warehouse, or residence is burglarized, if the picking of pockets becomes prevalent, or if a safe in a bank or office is blown, the wide awake detective can know from the nature of the crime, and the method employed, whom to confine his attentions to.

If for instance a safe has been dynamited, if feasible, arrangements should immediately be made to have all known safe blowers in the city shadowed. In this way criminals have often been caught in the act of either dividing their loot, or in disposing of it. Careful and systematic shadowing has also been the means of bringing to light the identity of many a thief who, until found out, enjoyed the utmost confidence of his employers.

I recall the case of a young man of good family who was a trusted employee of a certain large business concern. Sums of money ranging from ten to fifty dollars disappeared weekly from the firm’s cash, the thefts having covered a period of about three months before the identity of the thief was established. Four persons had access to the firm’s cash, and all were in turn shadowed from the time they left their respective homes in the morning until they retired at night. This plan of systematic shadowing developed the fact that the young man in question was the only one of the four possible guilty ones who was not leading an exemplary life, and in addition it was found that once a week he visited and made deposits at a certain bank while away from the office during the noon hour. Investigation at the bank developed that the young man was depositing each week more than the amount of his weekly salary.

Upon being shown detailed reports of his every movement for a period covering four weeks, and upon being questioned regarding his deposits at the bank, needless to say there was no difficulty in obtaining a confession from this young man.

I was once called upon to place under surveillance for two weeks a young man who lived in an exclusive residential section of a large city. It was not feasible to have the detective obtain a room in the neighborhood or “cover” of any kind, and to have had the detective stand on the street in this particular neighborhood would no doubt have exposed his purpose in a few hours. I made arrangements for the services of a uniformed messenger boy, provided him with a few novels to read, then had him sit under a tree on a lawn not far from the subject’s home. In this way when the subject would leave his home to go into the city, the messenger boy would signal to the detective who was stationed some three blocks distant at a logical car station, and where the detective’s presence did not attract attention. The messenger boy’s real purpose was not suspected, and this surveillance was continued successfully for a period of two weeks.

When conditions are similar to those in the case just mentioned I frequently have provided the detective with a pair of field glasses which would be used from a room that the detective would rent.

I have handled many cases wherein it was desired to keep under surveillance persons who visited the city each day, but who lived in the suburbs, or in thinly settled outlying sections of the city. In such cases two detectives were used, one to remain out in the suburbs to observe the car or train that the subject would board, after which this detective would telephone to the other one, stationed in the city, the number of the car or train upon which the subject would arrive in the city. In this way the subject can easily be picked up and his movements covered during the day. Shadow work properly directed and properly executed never fails to bring good results.