Sometimes in a surveillance, you have numerous active players who may be known or unknown; referring to one as “the tall Caucasian male wearing denim jacket,” for example, is not the most expedient way to document in your report every time this individual does something. What you can do here is look for a specific characteristic of the individual that helps in making him or her identifiable, and add the initials JD—for John Doe or Jane Doe—before that characteristic.
So, if your player has a noticeable scar on his or her face, you can document this person on your report as “JD—Scar” or “JD—Scarface.” This is a placeholder name until you can identify or eliminate him or her from your investigation.
When referring to your Subject, you can refer to the individual as the Subject, Target, or by the Subject’s last name. It depends on the policy of the investigative agency, insurance company, or law firm that hired you.
D. Brian Blackwell
Licensed Private Investigator
Brian Blackwell Investigations
