Documenting Investigations

A modern surveillance room conducts many investigations that require detailed documentation of observations. These investigations often occur outside the strictly gaming areas, as well as within the traditional table games, slots, cage and count rooms. Types of Investigations Surveillance uses a number of different types of investigations, ranging from random observation to dedicated, one-on-one observations. Each has its own level of required documentation. In some jurisdictions, every surveillance must be documented, at least so far as the subject, significant observations, beginning and end time. This is required in the internal control standards for Surveillance. Surveillance performs a number of different types of investigations, ranging from least focused to most. The key word is focused. This is based on the principle that random observation produces random results. Here are the chief types of investigations, ranging in a scale from least focused investigation to most closely focused. This scale may be familiar if you have also read "Consistent Surveillance Results."

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The outline should include as much information as possible, so that an informed investigator can trace activities. The outline should, if applicable, make reference to company policy that is suspected of being violated. And the outline should give specifics as to why any particular individuals are suspected. These inclusions in the outline of the investigation serve several purposes. They help safeguard the organization from accusations of unwarranted investigation. They help to show the competence of the investigation and gathering of the evidence, should the results ever appear in criminal or civil courts. They aid the investigators in determining what observations are in fact significant to the investigation. Other documentation should be included, as applicable, to complete documentation of investigations:

• Printouts of cash register transactions, or
• Sequential number of transactions, or
• Date, time, and amount of relevant transactions or exceptions (such as open cash drawers, no-sale rings, etc.)

Other paperwork relevant to the transactions may be necessary, such as change buys, fills and credits, cashless machine vouchers, or other accounting paperwork. These should be provided to investigators and/or documented and included in the final investigation Incident Report. Such accounting material does more than support the investigation: It provides a frame of reference for video investigation and provides written proof, when combined with video evidence, of errors, fraud or theft.

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