
Free 40hr Surveillance Course
Hosted by NW HIDTA
September 22-25 2025
Kent, WA
Limited Spots Available
Develop Cases and Locate Suspects Through Physical Surveillance, Cell Record Analysis & Advanced Strategies
40 hour in person training
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of technology, cell phones, social media and more, effective case development in criminal investigations requires a multifaceted approach. This training course offers a unique blend of physical surveillance techniques and historic cell record analysis, equipping participants with the skills to gather, analyze, and interpret data from both the physical environment and cell record footprints. Students will learn that when the two are combined, it is a powerful tool not only for apprehension but:
- Identifying and locating co-conspirators
- Finding where the physical evidence went after the crime to help support your case for court (clothing, get away vehicle, firearms, etc.)
- Showing a team where to canvas for video and what direction the suspect(s) fled after the crime
- Identifying and finding potential stash houses and hideouts for narcotic investigations
Understanding Physical Surveillance
Participants will learn the fundamentals of physical surveillance, including observation techniques, situational awareness, and mission planning.
They will learn how to multitask and balance the use of playbooks, scopes, ITAK/ATAK, three forms of coms with staying hidden and completing the tasks for each given scenario.
Introduction to Cell Record Analysis
This day in age most investigators are no longer getting 5-10 meter pings. Because of this, you have to know the basics of analyzing historic cell record data to be able to put your team in the right place and the right time to latch onto your target.
This course will provide an overview of cell phone technology, including how call detail records (CDRs) work, and their relevance in investigative scenarios.
If you are not familiar with T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T's Timing Advance / RTT data and more- you are behind the curve in surveillance preparation.
We will show students how to make playbooks and why this is important for not only finding targets, but locating evidence and identifying co-conspirators.
Designed for Detectives, SWAT, Task Forces and more:
This course is designed for Law Enforcement Officers, Detectives, Task Forces, Street Crime Teams and SWAT who are looking to enhance their investigative and apprehension capabilities through innovative techniques.
Our course is designed to be 25% in the classroom and 75% out in the field with eight to nine, live mock scene scenarios of real modern day violent crime cases that teach students how to combine technology with physical surveillance techniques and historic cell record analysis of a targets phone.
Immediate Success Story of Sex Offender Located
I cannot thank Cypher Operations Group enough for their training and expertise. Just days after taking the class, an absconded fugitive Sex Offender from California was found to have been hiding in our county for over a year. Detectives utilized several techniques learned in training with Cypher and ultimately had further questions on a ping warrant. The team fielded and responded to my emails and phone calls immediately providing their advanced knowledge which assisted greatly in service of the warrant. The suspect was located hours later hiding at a subjects home who was later located in attribution lists. The suspect was arrested on several new CSAM cases and Failure to Register.
THANK YOU CYPHER OPERATIONS GROUP!!
Respectfully,
Detective B. McCullough
Mason County Sheriff’s Office
Host a Course & Get Two Free Spots!
Contact us to host an in-person course. We will bring in all the gear. Students will need a vehicle, laptop, and cellphone.
Host agency will receive two free spots.
Daniel@cypheropsgroup.com
HIDTA Hosted Course (FREE to LE)
Limited spots left for our September 40hr, in person surveillance course that is hosted by HIDTA in Washington State. Link below

Modern-day Surveillance and Investigative Methods
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of technology, cell phones, social media and more, effective case development in criminal investigations requires a multifaceted approach. Rarely do we get the 5-10 meter phone pings anymore. Because of this, we teach students modern day techniques and strategies on how to latch onto a target so that surveillance can be conducted to build a case, find evidence and apprehend targets.
These strategies are actively being used by instructors who are active LEO's.

May 2025 Class
Sgt. Renschler- Olympia, PD- "Good Pace. Well Planned. Applicable for new and experienced investigators. Good balance between field work and class room. This was within top 3 training classes for me with many hours completed in 23 years."
E. Leavengood- Port of Seattle PD- "I enjoyed the mix of PowerPoints, hands on computer work and in the field work to incorporate all the learning styles. It made the day go by fast. All of the feed back from both instructors was both positive and constructive. They are both super knowledgeable and bring great experiences and resources to the class."
D. Maclurg- Lacey PD- "Great combo of using the cell data, intel, and surveillance to locate the targets. Very systematic and easy approach to finding the suspects. I really enjoyed all of the hands on practice and follows. Great class, and highly recommended for anyone in this type of work."
J. Reisher- Olympia PD- "The blending of analyzing digital evidence with physical surveillance made this one of the most useful trainings I have attended. I had fun everyday and the time flew by. The scanarios were realistic and I learned something with each one."
Student Reviews
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C.H- Seattle PD
"The content was highly applicable to my daily duties. The cell analytics content was extremely valuable and the delivery of the info took a lot of mystery out of how to digest cell data."
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H. Linehan- Tukwila PD
"Very Fun! Light on powerpoint & Heavy on real / Practical exercises. The class was extremely well organized & engaging over the entire 40 hours"
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A.F- Pierce County SO
"The structure of the class was great. No time was wasted. The scenarios were realistic. The instructors were great at monitoring all aspects of the scenarios."
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J Carstensen- Renton PD
“For a beginner unfamiliar with cell records analysis the case studies were awesome to see different ways to find targets. Also, seeing the playbook for each scenario and how to use these strategies real time was extremely helpful.”
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N. McDonald- Lynnwood PD
"I very much enjoyed how the importance of cell record analysis was illustrated and how it helps significantly in directing physical resources to places with much high probability of locating the target for physical surveillance.”
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K. Saur- Washington State Patrol
“I enjoyed everything about the course. I appreciated the amount of knowledge the instructors had and the way it was shared with the class. I will be taking multiple aspects of the course back to my T.F to share. The playbook application will 100% be utilized. Great Course!”
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K McCain- Moses Lake PD
“Scenarios were always fun and great learning tools. Cell phone info is great. Things to consider and search for regarding cell phone data to help locate suspects and evidence.”
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G. Rieber- Puyallup PD
“All the cellphone stuff. Scenarios are thought out and relevant. PowerPoint is good. I really like the quiz process. I haven’t seen that before and liked it.”

Case Development through cell record analysis and physical surveillance course
- We provide comprehensive 40-hour, in-person training courses specifically tailored for law enforcement professionals, including officers, detectives, task force members, and SWAT personnel. Our program focuses on the fundamentals of physical surveillance and integrates practical, field-based scenarios. These real-world exercises are designed to reinforce surveillance techniques while simultaneously introducing effective case development strategies that can be immediately applied to advance violent crime investigations.
- Our courses also emphasize strategies to enhance officer safety in the field and improve operational efficiency in case management.
- Contact us to host an in-person course. Host agency will receive two free spots. We will bring in all the necessary equipment. Students will just need a vehicle, cell phone, and laptop.
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Cypher Operations Group & Police Posts Collaboration
Check out the on demand physical surveillance course we filmed for Policeposts.com on their website. LEO Only.