Surveillance Standard Operating Procedures

Case Management

Trello

RIVICA uses the application TRELLO to record, manage and disseminate timely and accurate information to and from agents for each case. TRELLO is a free cloud-based service that is accessible via a computer or a mobile device. Please visit https://trello.com/en-AU/tour to learn more about the application. You will be invited by RIVICA Investigations & Covert Solutions Pty Ltd to join our team in TRELLO and will be required to download the free app onto your mobile device and/or your computer in order to work on RIVICA cases. A Trello ‘Briefing Card‘ a Trello ‘Deployment Card’ and a Trello ‘Master Disc’ card will be allocated to your Trello Board for each and every deployment on a RIVICA case. You are required to add your surveillance notes to the comments on each Deployment Card and confirm the statements on the checklist at the conclusion of the day’s duties. Training on the use of TRELLO will be provided. The Briefing Card is where you will find all the relevant information about the surveillance operation, including images, maps, intelligence and objectives. The Master Disc card is what represents the physical DVD provided to you to burn the original evidence.

Dropbox

In order for agents to provide RIVICA with relevant evidence obtained from their surveillance deployments, RIVICA uses Dropbox. Dropbox is free and works on any platform: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and Blackberry and gives you 2GB of storage space for free. Agents will be required to upload all video footage, images and at times documents relating to the days surveillance via the agents individual dropbox link which you will find on your TRELLO board. All video and images obtained are required to be uploaded as soon as possible after the surveillance has been completed for each day and within 24hrs with no exception. No images of video files are to be deleted.

Operational

Zello

Zello is a free push to talk mobile application available on IOS and Android that is used for communications between the operations manager and agents in the field. Every case will be allocated a unique Zello channel by RIVICA. You as the agent may be provided access to the channel when performing duties on the case. You may be required to provide a commentary of your observations even if you are working alone on some cases. This process allows RIVICA to update the client without the need to contact and disrupt the agent whilst in the field. The agent’s commentary on Zello can is recorded so can be used to assist in the completion of the surveillance report for the client.

Glympse

Glympse is a fast, free and simple way to share your real-time location using GPS tracking with our Operations Manager and other agents engaged on the same case. Depending on the case, you may be required to use Glympse to share your location with other agents and to receive other agents locations in live time. In these instances you will be required to share your location when you commence surveillance, up until you complete your surveillance duties for that day.

Evidential

Contemporaneous Notes

Surveillance notes are a written record of your observations and should be made contemporaneously. This is defined as an accurate record, made at the time, or as soon after the event as practicable. It is a record of relevant evidence which is seen, heard or done, by the maker of the note. You may be issued with a contemporaneous notebook which is to be used on RIVICA investigative assignments and only to be used on RIVICA assignments. You will be provided with our contemporaneous notes manual which will provide you with our best practice on how you should record your surveillance observations whilst working on RIVICA investigations. Moving with modern times and the use of technology, we are now accepting your contemporaneous notes to be added to the TRELLO deployment card, as these entries are time stamped and will comply with our standards of continuity. At the conclusion of the day’s surveillance, the contemporaneous notes should be scanned or photographed and uploaded to the allocated TRELLO ‘Deployment Card’ as soon as possible and within 24hrs with no exceptions, or entered into the comments on the card. These contemporaneous notes along with any recorded ZELLO commentary and any video / images obtained and uploaded to Dropbox, will be used to complete the surveillance report.

Video and photographs

Agents are required to own or have access to suitable photographic/video equipment in order to obtain high quality photographic/video evidence of their observations during RIVICA cases. It is a requirement that agents must have either a handy-cam type video recorder or a digital SLR camera (minimum of 1080P high definition), plus a covert camera to obtain video evidence whilst deployed on foot. Mobiles phones are not permitted to be used to obtain photographic and video evidence of the subject on any RIVICA cases. At the beginning of every surveillance deployment you must ensure that the time and date on your devices are correct and that the SD cards are formatted to ensure no old files remain on the SD card. You must ensure that the time stamp will not be recorded on the video files. Video it to be taken through out the period of surveillance to show any changes of circumstances and to the best of your ability when ever there is movement by the subject or at the subject address. RIVICA DVD’s will be supplied to you and must be used to create master copy discs of the contents of your devices’ SD card at the conclusion of each period of surveillance. A separate DVD must be used for each days surveillance. No images/files are to be deleted from the device during surveillance or from the SD card prior to copying onto a RIVICA DVD. Once the Master Disc has been created, fill in the disc with a blue or black DVD marker with the details requested. A Trello ‘Master Disc Card’ will have been created and added to your TRELLO board and given titled with a Unique Master Disc Number relative to your surveillance deployment. Take a photograph of the completed burned Master disc and upload the image to the Trello ‘Master Disc‘ card.

Administration

Charges

Agents can claim travel hours and kilometre expenses, and these will be calculated from either the Melbourne GPO or the agents home address , whichever is the closer. Agents from other states will use their CBD GPO for their calculations Ordinary expenses such as parking, tolls and entry costs to a venue; provided they are incurred when following a subject and not travelling to or from the assignment, can be claimed with a receipt. Any other extra ordinary expenses must be authorised by RIVICA prior to the expenditure. If an extra ordinary expense has been preauthorised, then the expenditure must be reasonable and necessary in order for the agent to continue to surveil the subject.

Invoices

All invoices are to be submitted to accounts@rivica.com.au at the conclusion of completing your requirements in a RIVICA case. Please submit a separate invoice for each deployment and reference the Trello Deployment Card details on the invoice. ie (1362 – 899401 Saturday, May 27, 2023).   On each invoice please include the surveillance start time, surveillance finish time (hours), the kilometres being claimed and any expenses.