Season 2 of The Blacklist has just been released on Blu-ray and DVD, and I spoke with a Private Investigator about what it would take to go off the grid.
Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader), a former United States Navy officer turned high-profile criminal, voluntarily surrenders to the FBI after eluding capture for decades. He tells the FBI that he has a list of the most dangerous criminals in the world that he has compiled over the years and is willing to guide their operations in exchange for immunity from prosecution. However he insists on working exclusively with a rookie FBI profiler by the name of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). The show also stars Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold and Harry Lennix.
I wanted to know a little bit more about the shadowy world that Red and Elizabeth live in, so I spoke with Richard Martinez from the Expedite Detective Agency, and asked him a few questions.
Richard told me that he, and his agency have done work in the past for diplomats, celebrities and even ex-prisoners. They have had to follow teenage children of high profile people to see what they have been doing because their children could have an affect on their standing in society.
I asked him about the sort of gadgets and tech he might use on an average covert surveillance operation, and he told me that it would include miniature cameras in buttons or in glasses, however more people are aware of that sort of kit as you can buy it really cheaply, so they have opted for more high tech equipment that might include Bluetooth earpieces that have a tiny camera in them so you can capture the subject without even looking in their direction. The other useful tool in their arsenal is software installed on a targets mobile phone. For the most part they would need to somehow gain access to the phone to install the software, unfortunately it’s not like in Person of Interest when they can just “BluJack” the device from hundreds of yards away. This software would intercept and copy any phone calls, texts, emails and so on. It can also be used a microphone so any conversations taking place around the vicinity of the phone will also be captured
Often in the show characters “fall of the grid”, so I asked Richard what it would take to do that. He told me that in order to do it the simplest thing would be to not pay any bill in your own name. Whenever you pay a bill you appear on a particular set of databases. What he also said was whenever you complete online surveys and other similar things your details are often sold so that they also appear on that database. He also suggested renting a property because the property will be the landlords name, and have all bills paid through the landlord so that your name doesn’t appear on anything. You might think that using a pay as you go phone protect your location, but you would be wrong as they can do a signal trace to find your whereabouts.
Richard has also written a book called HONEYTRAPS & SEXPIONAGE: CONFESSIONS OF A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR about his own experiences. You can learn more about the book, and also the Expedite Detective Agency by visiting their website.
The Blacklist Season 2 is out on Blu-ray and DVD now.
