There have been some wildly inaccurate statements made about narcotics enforcement in several threads lately, so I thought I would create a generalized explanation of how police use informants.
Keep in mind that there are 56,000-odd LE agencies in the USA, but this information will be viable in a general sense.
Informants are regulated by department policy; they are assigned a number which is used in lieu of their name, and all interactions with them are carefully documented and usually recorded on both audio and video. No promise other than cash payment can be made without the involvement of the appropriate prosecuting attorney, and all cash payments are carefully documented and recorded up the chain of command. Normally, only an informant's handler will know their name; their file is sealed and can only be accessed by either the command staff officer assigned overall control of the informant program, or the Chief of Police. Access will be made by the latter two only in an emergency.
First, let use address the types of informant. The terms used are those common to my area, and may not translate well, but the categories are valid.
Spy: These are people who operate for money. They will wear a 'wire' (which these days is usually both audio and video and tiny) and purchase narcotics or other contraband with provided funds.
Rat: This is a criminal who informs on another without any sort of incentive. This is usually pissed-off exes, criminal competitors, exes of stolen SOs, ex-partners who the target ripped off, and the like.
Snitch: This is a criminal (property or narcotics crime only) working off a charge, or a third party working off a criminal's charge. My agency policy is a 3:1 trade. If we busted you on a felony, you're going to have to hand over three felony cases to clear yours, and they will have to be solid cases which will go the distance. If a snitch can come up with hard data on a high-profile case or something serious that is completely off our radar, the ratio may be adjusted. Snitches often make controlled buys or have monitored discussions with criminals.
Source: This is usually an honest citizen bringing information to us for no compensation. Sources are usually of very limited value, but need to be handled carefully for the PR value.
The ten rules to using informants:
1) Never trust an informant.
2) Never expose an informant's identity in any particular (to do so is to 'burn' an informant) past, present, or future.
3) Endeavor to secretly establish a informant's real motivation.
4) Whenever you send an informant into a situation to make a buy or similar operation, have sufficient force on standby to extract said informant.
5) Keep in mind that all informants lose effectiveness with time; have an exit plan in place for your informant.
6) Never give your informant anything which identifies them as such.
7) Never steal another agency's informant.
8) Monitor your informant to ensure they are not stepping out with another agency without your permission.
9) Never use an informant as anything but a source of data. Never involve them in a case except as a data source or witness.
10) Never establish a personal relationship of any type with an informant, past or present.
I would rather have electronic surveillance than any sort of informant. For one thing, it is a lot easier to operate...
Keep in mind that there are 56,000-odd LE agencies in the USA, but this information will be viable in a general sense.
Informants are regulated by department policy; they are assigned a number which is used in lieu of their name, and all interactions with them are carefully documented and usually recorded on both audio and video. No promise other than cash payment can be made without the involvement of the appropriate prosecuting attorney, and all cash payments are carefully documented and recorded up the chain of command. Normally, only an informant's handler will know their name; their file is sealed and can only be accessed by either the command staff officer assigned overall control of the informant program, or the Chief of Police. Access will be made by the latter two only in an emergency.
First, let use address the types of informant. The terms used are those common to my area, and may not translate well, but the categories are valid.
Spy: These are people who operate for money. They will wear a 'wire' (which these days is usually both audio and video and tiny) and purchase narcotics or other contraband with provided funds.
Rat: This is a criminal who informs on another without any sort of incentive. This is usually pissed-off exes, criminal competitors, exes of stolen SOs, ex-partners who the target ripped off, and the like.
Snitch: This is a criminal (property or narcotics crime only) working off a charge, or a third party working off a criminal's charge. My agency policy is a 3:1 trade. If we busted you on a felony, you're going to have to hand over three felony cases to clear yours, and they will have to be solid cases which will go the distance. If a snitch can come up with hard data on a high-profile case or something serious that is completely off our radar, the ratio may be adjusted. Snitches often make controlled buys or have monitored discussions with criminals.
Source: This is usually an honest citizen bringing information to us for no compensation. Sources are usually of very limited value, but need to be handled carefully for the PR value.
The ten rules to using informants:
1) Never trust an informant.
2) Never expose an informant's identity in any particular (to do so is to 'burn' an informant) past, present, or future.
3) Endeavor to secretly establish a informant's real motivation.
4) Whenever you send an informant into a situation to make a buy or similar operation, have sufficient force on standby to extract said informant.
5) Keep in mind that all informants lose effectiveness with time; have an exit plan in place for your informant.
6) Never give your informant anything which identifies them as such.
7) Never steal another agency's informant.
8) Monitor your informant to ensure they are not stepping out with another agency without your permission.
9) Never use an informant as anything but a source of data. Never involve them in a case except as a data source or witness.
10) Never establish a personal relationship of any type with an informant, past or present.
I would rather have electronic surveillance than any sort of informant. For one thing, it is a lot easier to operate...
Comment