BELOW IS A SAMPLE SURVEILLANCE DETECTION route. The route begins at the corner of 20th and F Streets, NW on the campus of George Washington University, four blocks directly west of the White House. GWU is outside the White House “red zone,” which should be avoided because of the intense security in the area. Remember, Phase 1 of the SDR should be the one in which the person running the route is going about his or her normal business. If your first stop is a straight shot from your kick-off point, then by all means go straight so as not to pique the interest of possible surveillants.
Depart from the corner of 20th and F Streets (Figure 7) and go directly north on 20th Street toward Dupont Circle (Figures 8 and 9). Go around the circle to the west side of Connecticut Avenue, NW and go into the Kramerbooks and Afterwords bookstore (Figure 10). Kramerbooks is a very popular bookstore and café that also has a back exit that will allow you to depart via the less-trafficked 19th Street. Browse for books and/or have a coffee, then depart from the back exit, go north to the end of the block, and make a left on Q Street, NW (Figure 11). This will begin Phase 2 of the SDR, the pattern phase. On Q, cross Connecticut Avenue, then turn south (left) onto 21st Street. Go one block and turn west (right) on P Street.
P Street is an important segment because it is the only thing that connects Dupont Circle with the Georgetown Section of Washington (Figure 12). It’s a chokepoint that will allow you to funnel surveillance. If somebody is following you, they will have to cross the P
Street Bridge along with you to come out in Georgetown on the other end.
Continue west on P Street until you get to 28th Street. There you can go into Stachowski’s, a high-end specialty meat market and deli (Figure 13). Browse the special cuts of expensive meats, maybe buy a sandwich or a drink, and exit the store, heading north on 28th Street (Figure 14). Go north one block and then make turn west (left) on Q Street. Turn north (right) on 29th Street and follow it one block to R Street. Turn west (left) and go one block to the entrance of Oak Hill Cemetery (Figure 15.) This is where you will enter Phase 3, the aggressive phase.
Walk around the historic cemetery. Perhaps you can spend some time at the graves of former Secretary of State Dean Acheson; President Lincoln’s personal secretary John Nicolay; former Treasury Secretary Salomon P. Chase, whose image appears on the $10,000 bill; or former Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham.
When exiting the cemetery, proceed south on 30th Street into the heart of Georgetown. Here you will use the “stairstepping” technique, which, as you can see on the map, makes a series of right and left turns at every block look like a set of stairs. Your goal is to end up at the corner of 36th Street and Prospect Streets, NW, the house where the movie The Exorcist was filmed (Figure 16).
Immediately to the left of the house are the famous “Exorcist Steps,” which attract tourists 365 days a year. This is the provocative phase, where you will either abort your mission or continue down the steps to a waiting car parked at the abandoned Exxon station below (Figures 17 and 18). Your route is now complete.
Washington, DC surveillance detection route
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