Disguises are an important element of escape and evasion. Although an Intelligence Officer will do their best to blend in, there may be some situations where it is important to disguise themselves to escape an emergency situation.
Elements of disguises include changing your hair, changing your face, and changing your clothing in order to create the appearance of a different individual.
Hair
There are a number of hair changes an individual can make. Someone with long hair can of course cut it shorter – buzz it or even go bald. Long hair can help cover you in front of security cameras but can be a liability as you can be spotted from a long distance.
Once your hair is shorter (such as buzzed or bald), you also have the option of wearing a hat. Simpler and lower profile is better – again because the goal is to blend in with individuals so that you can get out of the target area.
Face
Glasses are one of the simplest ways to change your appearance. Glasses that have coloured lenses can help change your appearance, though you should avoid mirrored sunglasses or others that would draw overt attention to yourself.
Iodine can be used to quickly but temporarily stain your teeth. The advantage of this in an emergency is that someone may focus on your yellow teeth and pay less attention to the rest of your face – thus impairing their ability to identify you.
Changing Clothing
A clothing change is a simple way to radically change your appearance. For example, use of reversible jackets can help you quickly change your appearance. Reversible jackets are designed to be worn on both sides, but with different appearances. For instance, I own a reversible jacket that is black on one side and orange on the other. Flipping it over means I can blend into a crowd.
Finally, a jogging suit can help you slip away by helping you blend in with joggers/runners, which has allowed more than one individual fleeing a crime scene to escape.
