|
Rules and Regulations of the California Department of Corrections
Subchapter 4, General Institution Regulations
Section 3270, Security
The primary objectives of correctional institutions are to protect the public by safely managing
advertisements and to afford such advertisements with every reasonable opportunity to participate
in rehabilitative activities. Consistent effort will be made to ensure the security of the
institution and the effectiveness of the treatment programs. Each employee must be trained to
understand how physical facilities, personnel, and operative procedures affect the maintenance
of security. The requirement of staff and public safety must take precedence over all other
considerations in the operations, programs, and activities of the department. |
Security Resources:
- Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkey Wrenching
- The War at Home - How COINTELPRO Helped Destroy the Movements of the 1960s
Security
Compiled from Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkey Wrenching,
edited by Dave Foreman and Bill Haywood (Tucson, Arizona: Ned Ludd Books, 1987).
Planning
Scout your target in advance during daylight and at nighttime. Familiarize yourself
with entrance/escape routes, surrounding roads, traffic patterns, lookout sites, drop off/pick up
locations, security patrols, and police patrols. Take note of the location of video cameras,
your exposure to potential witnesses, and areas where you can hide tools or clothes.
Arriving
Don't stop directly in front of, park near, or repeatedly cruise past your target. If you use a
vehicle, drop off your team away from the target to avoid attaching your vehicle or license plate
to the scene. In rural areas a team can walk from a distant drop site, but in urban or suburban
areas a closer drop will reduce your exposure to police patrols. After a drop drive away from the
area and keep the vehicle moving to avoid suspicion. If you decide to park, do so only in busy areas
where you will blend into surrounding traffic. In rural or sparsely populated areas driving may be
conspicuous so you may choose to park out of sight. Scout parking beforehand so you won't attract
attention as you cruise around looking for a spot. Avoid working in the early morning when reduced
traffic will make you stand out. In quiet surroundings don't slam vehicle doors. Push the doors
until they partially latch and close them completely after leaving the target area. Brake lights
are highly visible so try stopping more quickly or using the parking brake.
Leaving
A team should have a designated length of time to work and withdraw to a pick up location.
Pick up and drop off sites should be different in case you have been noticed by suspicious
witnesses. A driver should return to the area only at the agreed pick up time. He/she should not
have to rush or break speed limits to arrive on time. If the team misses the first pick up, the
driver should return at predetermined intervals - every 15, 20, or 30 minutes. Use a permanent
landmark to find the pick up site. Radios can be helpful to coordinate actions during pick up, but
remember that your transmissions may be heard by the police or other people using your channel.
Prepare for an alternate site and time in case police are in the area. In the event of imminent
danger from the police, conceal your tools, leave the area without incriminating evidence, and return
later to pick up your materials. After a successful pick up, leave the area at a normal speed and
conceal any evidence inside the vehicle. Stay on paved roads to avoid leaving tire marks or
footprints. If you have to use a dirt road, you may be able to cover your tracks with a broom or
branches as you leave.
No Evidence
Don't take any evidence from or leave any evidence on a target site. Wear gloves and avoid
leaving fingerprints on your materials or on the scene. Before you start an action clean
fingerprints from your tools in case you lose something on the site. Don't forget to clean internal
components including batteries, bulbs, etc. Don't carry any unnecessary items that you might
accidentally leave on-site. Remember that power tools have a serial number that can be tracked to
a particular purchase. Don't leave an incriminating paper trail when acquiring your tools.
Burn paper, notes, maps, and other incriminating documents before an action. Crumble the ashes and
then flush them down a toilet or bury them outside. Don't keep a diary or other records of your work.
If you decide that you have to keep evidence, avoid storing it inside your house, your vehicle, or
other personal property. Keep materials in a rental storage locker under a fictitious name.
You may also want to bury or hide items in a secure location away from your home or store your things
with a trustworthy friend. Choose a friend who is not involved in illegal activity to avoid a
potential police search of their property.
Periodically dispose of all tools, clothing, shoes and other evidence that can connect you to an
action. Replace bolt cutters, wire cutters, or other tools that leave a distinctive mark with
similar items from a different manufacturer. Use a file to clean tools of paint chips, marks,
or distinctive debris before and after a job. Remove broken bolts, locks, chain link pieces,
and other metal fragments that you may have cut and discard them off-site. Dispose of paint
in dumpsters and avoid fingerprints on the can. Clean or destroy clothing and shoes after a job
to remove incriminating paint, fibers, dirt, or plant debris. Use cheap shoes that are easy to
replace. If you can't replace shoes often, never use work shoes for any other activity since your
footprints can be matched to an action. Wear smooth soled shoes or cover your shoes with socks to
minimize traceable footprints. Wash and vacuum your vehicle to remove incriminating paint, grease,
or dirt. Remember to remove and dispose of the vacuum bag.
Camouflage
Avoid exotic and unusual clothing on a job. Dress like the locals - construction workers,
business executives, tourists, etc. Use dark clothes for nighttime work, and wear a hat to
disguise yourself. Dress in layers with a disposable outer layer that can get dirty and an inner
layer that will allow you to blend into the local population when you finish your work. If you lose
a button or a piece of clothing, it will be less likely to arouse suspicion if your clothes match
the site. Use only inconspicuous vehicles during a job - no distinctive paint, bumper stickers, or
personalized license plates. Bumper stickers can be temporarily covered with a layer of masking
tape which is easy to remove. Follow the masking tape with a layer of duct tape or electrical tape
that matches the color of your bumper. Bike reflectors can be covered in the same way.
General Tips
If you use a vehicle, make sure your lights, signals, driver's license, and registration are legal.
Don't break any traffic laws while moving to or from a job. Don't give the police an excuse to stop
and search your vehicle.
Prepare a story to tell the police in case you are stopped. Keep it short and simple without too
many details. Don't try to engage the cops in dialogue or respond to their accusations. Anything
you say can and probably will be used against you.
Don't discuss your illegal activities on the phone or on the Internet. Don't carry address books,
phone numbers, sensitive political documents, drugs, or weapons during an action.
Don't brag about your actions. Tell only the people who need to know.
Use fictitious names during an action so you won't be identified by witnesses. Memorize them and
use them frequently so you won't revert to real names under stress. Use your fictitious names only
in the midst of an action.
Minimize talking when you are near your target. Learn sign language or prepare hand signals so
you can communicate without words or across long distances if necessary.
Change patterns in your work to avoid police traps. Keep your actions as random as security permits.
Change the type of target, the days and times that you go out, the locations of your target, and
the routes of entrance and escape. Periodically stop working for a while. Limited personnel and
budgets will force police to focus on more pressing matters. Use inactive periods to dispose of
incriminating materials.
Remember that every time police stop someone a record is generated. Such records can connect you
or your vehicle to a job. If you are stopped on the way to your target, cancel your plans. If you
get stopped after a job, make an extra effort to destroy all evidence once you reach a safe location.
Two-way radios are an inexpensive and easy way to coordinate your efforts. If you use radios, speak
in prearranged code and never refer to a person's real name. Try to use simple and innocuous code
words that are easy to remember and that blend into the surrounding radio traffic. Practice speaking
in code ahead of time so you won't revert to regular conversation on the radio. Remember to test
your radios under comparable conditions before starting an action.
Avoid using cell phones near your target or during an action. Phone companies can record
incriminating evidence by tracking your phone transmissions to a specific time and location.
Be prepared for police vehicles or holding cells with excessive heat or air conditioning. Wear
clothing that opens down the front so you can easily slip layers on or off while wearing handcuffs.
Be prepared for lengthy detention in police vehicles or holding cells with no toilets. Carry ziplock
bags.
Trust your instincts and subtle feelings. Underground work and illegal behavior can sharpen an
extra sense for danger that defies rational explanation.
Beware of overconfidence that can come after a series of successful actions. Feelings of
invincibility can lead to dangerous and reckless behavior. Stay alert and plan carefully or take
a break when you begin to feel invulnerable.
Recruitment
Keep the number of team members as small as possible to get the job done safely. A group should be
able to provide a driver (if you're using a vehicle), lookouts, on-scene workers, and a backup person
to provide legal/jail support. Recruit from reliable and trusted friends who are enthusiastic about
direct action. Avoid casual acquaintances from political groups that are likely to attract police
spies. Avoid acquaintances who talk tough since that can often be a cover for provocateurs or
insecure, uninformed, and reckless behavior. After picking a potential recruit start with casual
conversation to gauge his/her commitment to direct action. Use a current story or news article to
raise the issue. Proceed with low-risk actions to see how the recruit works under pressure.
Gradually introduce the recruit to other team members and to increasingly difficult jobs.
Don't reveal your previous experience or your connection to an organized group. If a recruit bails
out, they won't be able to compromise you or your group's security. Take your time. A good
recruitment process can take several months.
Publicity
Although security generally limits contact with outsiders, you may decide to approach the media to
reach a broader audience. Remember that any verbal or written contact with the media may be
passed on to the police who will look for clues from handwriting analysis, fingerprints, or
voiceprints. Never assume that the media will impartially present your side of the story.
News reporters may turn you into the police, distort your actions for their own benefit, or
unintentionally reveal compromising information about your actions, group size, and future plans.
- Communiques
-
Never write a communique by hand. Cut words from a newspaper, paste them to a sheet of paper,
and send a photocopy without fingerprints. Use a computer or a typewriter with public access
or rent one under a fictitious name. To reduce the threat of people reading over your shoulder,
bury your message inside innocent looking text and cut it out later. Remember that printers and
typewriters leave distinctive marks that can be traced.
Don't deliver original documents. Make several generations of light photocopies to disguise
the origin of a typewriter or computer produced original. Make several copies, touch only the
top and bottom sheets, and deliver the inner sheets which should be free of fingerprints.
Don't use the same copy machine repeatedly and avoid copy machines near your home or your job
where you will be recognized. Copy machines can leave identifying characteristics on your copies
that can be traced.
Don't include fingerprints or other distinctive marks with your communique. Handle all paper,
envelopes, labels, stamps, and tape with gloves. Use a sponge to moisten stamps or envelopes
since saliva can be traced to a particular blood type and to a matching DNA sample. If you use
the mail, carry your package in an envelope to avoid fingerprints. Hold onto the outer envelope
as you drop the package into a mailbox. Use a mailbox that is far away from your area of
operations to avoid clues about your location. You can also leave your message in a remote area
- under a garbage can or in a phone book - and give your contact anonymous directions over the phone.
- Telephone Contact
-
All phone calls to the media may be recorded and/or traced to a particular phone. Use pay phones
and keep your calls as brief as possible.
- Personal Interviews
-
For extra security direct your contact to a pay phone and call them from another pay phone.
Give directions that lead to yet another pay phone and observe your contact to make sure that
they are not being followed. If undercover police are following your contact, their trained eyes
may pick you out. Be careful. If you think it's safe, direct your contact to a remote location
with many avenues of escape. Schedule your interview at sunset so the oncoming darkness will
cover your exit. Always conceal yourself with gloves, a mask, and a hat. Provide only the
information that is absolutely necessary and make sure you have security people concealed nearby.
Never allow more than one person in an interview. If lights or a camera flash will be used,
save them until the end of the interview to avoid unwanted attention.
- Photos
-
Photos can be a great tool for media publicity, but don't include anything in or on the photos
that can be traced to you. Develop your own film and pictures in a private darkroom. Never trust
film or prints to commercial labs since they may report you to the police. Digital photos do not
require developing and can be easily loaded onto the Internet. Before uploading photos, make
certain that your files don't include the camera's serial number or other unique characteristics.
Destroy extra photos, negatives, or computer files. Avoid the temptation to keep a scrapbook because
photos and negatives are extremely incriminating evidence. If you do decide to keep photos,
hide them in a secure location far away from your home, your vehicle or any other personal property
that may be searched by the police.
|