When it comes to confidential informant training in the USA a topic that often comes to the fore is what guidelines should agencies work to and what standards should they be trained to. These problems are understandable given that there are about 18000 law enforcement agencies spread across fifty different states. Agencies need to be very careful that they are meeting expected standards of behaviour or they leave themselves open to lawsuits or the loss of cases.
An interesting case of informant exposure in Alaska, USA
Here is an interesting case from Alaska Beacon in the USA about the exposure of a confidential informant. The claim is that the informant (human source) was exposed as a result of the involvement of Alaska State Troopers in a reality television program. Jane Doe is suing the Department of Public Safety and the Television company.
Bringing policy and procedures to confidential informant training.
Confidential Informant Management: The Legal and Constitutional Framework
Managing a Confidential Informant (CI) is one of the most effective tools in modern law enforcement. It is also one of the most legally dangerous. In the United States, informant management is not governed by a single act of Congress. Instead, handlers must master a complex patchwork of Constitutional Case Law, Federal Administrative Guidelines, and State-Specific Statutes. Violating these rules can compromise an active investigation, lead to the dismissal of criminal charges, or result in federal civil rights lawsuits against the handler. Here is the essential legal framework every handler, investigator, and agency supervisor must master.
How One Police Agency Can Host Informant Management Training — and Let It Pay for Itself
In today’s environment, law enforcement agencies are expected to stay ahead of increasingly complex operational challenges—often with limited training budgets. One area where this is especially true is human source (confidential informant) management, a discipline that requires precision, legal awareness, and strong operational judgment.
RAPPORT BASED INFORMANT MANAGEMENT
There’s a persistent problem in human source management: too many systems are designed to control people, not understand them. For decades, managing human intelligence sources (confidential informants) has leaned heavily on structure, incentives, and “police-based management frameworks,” as if human sources are predictable inputs in a controlled process. They aren’t.
Officer charged in relation to confidential informant handling
Here is another case of an officer being charged following an inappropriate relationship with an informant in Oconee County, South Carolina. It is far from unusual. While agencies place their officers in these situations there will always be risks and this is a risk that materialises far too often. Managing confidential informants (human Sources, covert human intelligence sources, CHIS) is a business that is fraught with risks.
Confidential informant lawsuit - poor informant management has costs
Here are the details of a lawsuit in Massachusetts relating to the use of confidential informant. You can find the original story here.
My sense is that this is going to be a hard one for the city to defend.
It is worth reading both the story and the lawsuit. There is a lot that can be learned. There is no reason why this type of conduct should be taking place in a police agency in the 21st century.
Death of an informant and the subsequent push for legislation.
Here is an article from CBS 6 relating to the death of an informant in Virginia. Troy Howlett was working as an informant for the Hopewell Police Department at the time of his death. Howlett died of an overdose but concerns have been raised about the police department pushing him back into the drug world after his arrest.
Confidential Informant Auditing - When did Noah build the ark?
Here is a story for all law enforcement around managing confidential informants.
The agency has had some major problems around the management of informants.
Here are a few take aways that help address similar problems before the rain falls.
1. Write effective policies and procedures before the bad things happen.
2. Set up independent command structures to manage the entire process.
3. Select and train your officers that you allow to manage informants.
4. Keep comprehensive records.
Before your agency finds itself in trouble of if it already has, you may wish to consider and independent audit. Take a look at what we can provide.
Here are a couple of books that will help your agency. They explain the basics of what you need. Both are available on Amazon.
1. HUMAN SOURCES: Managing Confidential Informants.
2. MANAGING RISK IN UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS: A guide for law enforcement
Law Enforcement and the Concept of HUMINT
Law enforcement officers do NOT undertake HUMINT operations in the way the term is traditionally understood, and commonly used within law enforcement. There are good reasons to stop misusing the term.
The term HUMINT originated within the U.S. military in the 1970s as a broad category encompassing a wide range of human‑based collection methods, including surveillance, witness interviews, undercover activities, espionage and human source handling, and the interrogation or debriefing of prisoners of war.
HUMINT Training and where to get it. Some guidance for agencies.
So you have recognised that there is a need for HUMINT training within your agency but your not sure where to go to get the right training and if truth were told you are not even sure what the right training would look like if you saw it described.
When it comes to HUMINT training there are a lot of different products on offer from a lot of different providers. It can be difficult to chose which provider to go with. Herer are a few things you might want to consider before you sign contracts.
Probable cause on information from informant
Here are details of an interesting judgement from New Mexico on the issue of probable cause in relation to a drugs warrant. There are a couple of learning points here for all detectives.
Dual Use Items - Identifying use for Terrorism
Here is an interesting story from Nigeria where alert soldiers intercepted a truck containing fertiliser. While this may have passed by many a patrol these soldiers were on the ball and after asking the right questions identified it as being intended for terrorist use. Excellent work.
$250,000 spent because of poor informant management - and that is just for consultants
When things go wrong in policing chances are the taxpayer is going to end up paying to get the mistakes fixed. Here is a news report relating to New Bedford Police and fixing their issues around informant management. This follows a not of press coverage including a well worth listening to podcast from the Boston Globe.
When Human Source policies are not followed - Police corruption
Here is an interesting article from Akron Ohio about a sexual relationship between a female officer and her informant. What is interesting about this case is that by the account given the agency seem to have had in place policy that would have mitigated the risk of this occurring. ALL contacts had to be reported and two handlers always present.