I was asked yesterday has to what makes confidential informant (Human Source) training provided by HSM Training different from other providers. I wasn’t quite sure where to start. Then it dawned on me that it doesn’t actually start with us, it starts with the customer and what they need. And what they need is not always what they want.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here is a story that clearly indicates the problems where confidential informants are then used as witnesses.
There is an all to common opinion that someone who is a confidential informant is also suitable to be then used as a witness. Essentially this is about lazy law enforcement.
There is a clue in the name ‘confidential informant’ Confidential means we don’t expose them.
A witness is someone we intend to testify.
Conflating the two brings huge problems including dubious convictions and the exposure of informants to risk to their life.
Agencies need systems and processes to manage any conflict between the two.
At HSM training we are continually trying to offer the best products we can to both law enforcement and intelligence services. As part of our research we will also look at what else is in the market place. This gives us an idea of what people are looking for and what is available. We continually strive to offer the best products available. This blog discusses training in relation to HUMINT and confidential informants.
At HSM we constantly research stories relating to corruption relating to the management of confidential informants. The Snitch City Podcast from The Boston Globe highlighted a number of serious issues relating to the management of confidential informants, in New Bedford Police Department. Numerous serious allegations were made.
Here is another story of corruption relating to the management of confidential informants, this time in Tennessee. Sometimes I get tired of highlighting similar issues, mainly because with a limited amount of effort and some financial investment the vast amount of corruption relating to informant management can be eliminated. Seriously folks it is not that difficult
Here is another story about the consequences of bad informant management in New Bedford, Mass. A lot has been said about problems within this agency none of which can be pleasant for any officer of that agency unconnected with the allegations. These have been covered in depth in the podcast Snitch City presented by the Boston Globe.