The Reason You Got Burned: Following Too Closely

Have you ever had your Subject look in the rearview mirror at you?

Slow down on the highway?

Do a U-turn right in front of you?

You might be burned and it may have been because you were tailing your Subject too closely.

The Setup

As a disclaimer, if you’re not licensed as a private investigator, please don’t go out and start following people. Just cause you watched this, doesn’t give you the right to tail someone. Serious consequences will follow if you get caught.

Additionally, this is for training and practice purposes only – just use it for entertainment.

Watch the video above for details on how to follow your Subject on surveillance.

The Four Big Takeaways

First, use a buffer car. Avoiding your Subject’s ability to see your car’s profile in their rearview mirror is huge. A buffer car is a car between you and your Subject. Use them whenever you can.

Second, to avoid staying behind or getting too close, use other lanes. And then circle back as I did.

Third, don’t stop unnecessarily just because they did. The guy pulled a u-turn, and just parked in front of his house. The temptation was to stop, capture some video, and perhaps make it obvious that he’s being followed. Instead, I proceeded onward, knowing he was parking and allowed him to exit out of view.

Fourth, know your map. Have a GPS or your phone mounted on your dash up so you know the lay of the land. Is your Subject turning down a no-outlet street? Getting near the highway? Heading back home? You’ll need to know in advance, and knowing the roads in your city and state is a must.