In surveillance training, what does being made mean?
Ontario Private Investigator overview
Ontario Private Investigator: Locating, research and surveillance
Setting a justifiable mandate, basic locator techniques, public records and research sources such as PPSR searches, the purposes of covert surveillance, what to know before you start, standard equipment, detection, and solo versus team surveillance methods.
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Study reference: Ontario Private Investigator Study Guide (ontario.ca, October 2021), Ch. 5 Investigative techniques — Basic locator techniques, Research techniques, Principles of surveillance
All 14 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
In surveillance training, what does being made mean?
- The video has been sealed as evidence
- The file has been approved by the client
- The subject has identified the person watching them
- The investigator has finished a full shift
Before starting a locate or background investigation, what should you first establish with the client?
- A cover story for contacting neighbours
- A justifiable mandate for the investigation
- The number of hours the client will pay
- The subject's likely daily schedule
What is the purpose of covert surveillance?
- To let the subject know they are being watched
- To question the subject about the client's claim while recording the answers
- To observe without being detected and see the subject's true behaviour
- To collect the subject's mail for later review
Which vehicle best suits surveillance, according to the study guide's equipment list?
- A nondescript vehicle in a muted colour
- A convertible for a clear view in all directions
- A vehicle with the agency's logo on the doors
- A brightly coloured car that is easy to find
Your file is missing the subject's date of birth before surveillance starts. What should you do?
- Ask the subject's neighbours for it
- Phone the subject pretending to be a pollster
- Start anyway and guess from the subject's looks
- Check the file or contact your office to confirm it
What can a Personal Property Security Registration (PPSR) search reveal about a subject?
- Their medical history and prescriptions
- Their bank balances and credit score
- Liens registered against their property or business
- Their criminal record and pending charges
Once you accept a case with a justifiable mandate, what is your first responsibility?
- Contact the subject to confirm their identity
- Begin surveillance at the subject's last known address
- Place a newspaper ad seeking the subject
- Check the accuracy of the information the client supplied
Which of these is a team surveillance technique named in the study guide?
- Door knocking
- Tailgating
- Pretexting
- Leapfrogging
All previous addresses for a missing person are out of date and other searches failed. What is the last resort?
- A local newspaper ad with the last known address
- Requesting the person's tax file from the CRA
- Asking a police contact to run a database check
- Posting the person's photo on social media as wanted
What is a criss-cross directory, found at some public libraries?
- A register of licensed investigators and agencies, sorted by phone number
- A list of court cases sorted by judge
- Phone numbers listed in numerical order with subscriber names
- A map that shows where two roads cross
You find a detailed online profile written by your subject. What should you keep in mind?
- It is private and cannot be used in a report
- It can be used only if a lawyer certifies it
- Its accuracy must be checked, since the subject likely wrote it
- It is an official record and can be quoted in a report as proven fact
When might two or more investigators be assigned to one surveillance?
- Whenever the subject lives in a large city
- When the subject drives aggressively or the site has several exits
- Whenever the file is the investigator's first case and a mentor is available
- Whenever the client's budget allows overtime
Which of these is a purpose of surveillance listed in the study guide?
- Issuing a trespass notice to the subject
- Gathering information before conducting an interview
- Collecting overdue debts from the subject
- Serving as the subject's personal bodyguard
You learn the subject of your surveillance is represented by a lawyer. What is general practice?
- Contact the lawyer to ask for the subject's schedule
- Avoid any verbal contact or interaction with the subject
- Tell the subject the lawyer has approved the surveillance in advance
- Interview the subject before the lawyer finds out
Locating, research and surveillance: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Basic locator techniques
- Locating and pre-investigation work is the basis of all investigations (no surveillance without the subject's address).
- Before starting, confirm with the client a justifiable mandate: what is wanted, why, whether it is frivolous, and whether getting it is lawful (e.g. under PIPEDA).
- Keep detailed records of the reason for the investigation; sometimes checking the client's own claims and background is the responsible approach.
- Once a case is accepted, first double-check the accuracy of the information the client supplied.
- When maps do not find the address, a postal code search may give the address or area; public databases, internet sources and library searches can confirm outdated information.
- Last resort for a missing person: a local newspaper ad with the last known address.
Research techniques
- Libraries hold telephone books, business indexes, trade magazines, criss-cross directories (numbers in numerical order with subscriber names), and old newspapers on microfiche or CD-ROM (crime and accident stories, bankruptcy, marriage, birth, obituary and probate notices).
- A Personal Property Security Registration (PPSR) search can show liens against a subject's property or business; it is public.
- Bankruptcy, divorce, land registry and corporate records, plus civil, small claims and family court files, can help; search only what the instructions and purpose require.
Purpose of surveillance
- Covert surveillance aims to observe persons, places or things without being detected and see the subject in their natural, true state.
- Purposes include locating people, learning about activities or health status, finding hidden or stolen property, preventing or catching an act, gathering information before an interview, and obtaining court evidence.
- Surveillance video and photos are illustrative evidence.
Preparation and conduct
- Before surveillance get: name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, employment, places frequented and the purpose; if something is missing check the file or call the office.
- Obey all federal, provincial and municipal laws, including the Highway Traffic Act while following a vehicle, even when the subject breaks it.
- If the subject is known to have a lawyer, general practice is to avoid verbal contact or interaction with them.
- Standard equipment: a nondescript vehicle of muted colours (SUV, van), a covert video camera with night-shot capability, still camera with zoom lens, notepads, pens, binoculars, change of clothes, money, two-way radio, digital recorder for notes, and props to blend in.
Detection and team surveillance
- Watch your surroundings and the subject for signs surveillance is compromised; balance "paranoia" against real reasons to think you were detected.
- Most surveillance is done alone; teams are used for aggressive drivers, locations with several exits, or subjects able to run counter-surveillance.
- Alone: keep a constant eye on the subject when possible. In a team: stay in constant communication.
- Team techniques: caravan method, leapfrogging, parallel coverage.
- Syllabus: surveillance methods are overt/covert and mobile/stationary; being identified by the subject is called "being made"; cross-reference notes, surveillance data and reports.
Study the Locating, research and surveillance rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- The PI industry and getting licensedWho needs an Ontario private investigator licence under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005, who is exempt, the six licence types, eligibility (age 18, clean criminal record, right to work, training and testing), the 50-hour training syllabus, approved training providers and the licence term.
- PSISA rules, Code of Conduct and complaintsCarrying and producing your licence, the undercover exception, the ban on badges and on words such as detective and officer, the Code of Conduct (O. Reg. 363/07), public complaints and facilitation, refusals and appeals, work a PI may not do, and the penalties for breaking the Act.
- Privacy law: PIPEDA, FIPPA and MFIPPAHow PIPEDA's consent rules limit what personal information an investigation business can collect, use and disclose, the exceptions for publicly available information and investigations, access to government records under FIPPA and MFIPPA, and industry practice on expectations of privacy, hidden cameras, audio and GPS trackers.
- Evidence: types, Evidence Acts and chain of custodyDirect, circumstantial, hearsay, documentary (illustrative), real, trace, opinion and unsworn evidence, admissions, business records under the Ontario Evidence Act and Canada Evidence Act, and the six core steps for containing evidence and keeping a chain of custody.
- Trespass to Property Act and other statutesOccupiers and authorized persons, the three ways to commit trespass, notice by voice, writing, signs and red or yellow markings, arrest and handover to police, the $10,000 maximum fine, and the other Ontario statutes the syllabus names, including the Highway Traffic Act on surveillance.
- Criminal Code: arrest, force and offencesWhy a PI has only a citizen's powers, arrest without warrant under section 494, delivering a person to police, use of force under sections 25 to 27, defence of person and property, Charter rights on arrest and detention, and the offences the study guide names: theft, false pretences, fraud and kidnapping.
- Courts, intimidation, harassment and civil lawThe Canadian court system, burden of proof in criminal and civil cases, intimidation under section 423, criminal harassment under section 264, interception of private communications under section 184, tort, libel, slander and perjury, and the parties to a civil action.
- Interviews, statements and reportsPreparing for and conducting interviews, taking and correcting a witness statement, confessions and youth interviews, writing objective surveillance reports, correcting notes and using notes when you testify.
- Undercover work, email monitoring and serving documentsWhen undercover operations are used, briefing and supervising an operator, conduct that protects credibility in court, monitoring employee email, and serving civil documents under Ontario's Rules of Civil Procedure, including personal service, substituted service and the Affidavit of Service.
- Ethics, communication and self-managementEthical decision-making, duty of care, prejudice and the Ontario Human Rights Code, clear and unbiased communication, tactical communication, and managing stress, time, teamwork and changing conditions on assignments.