This article addresses the issue of courses that claim to train officers how to manage informants in a few hours.
The moral and emotional world of police informants - Academic research
At HSM training and consultancy we are great believers in research relating to the management of confidential informants (CHIS, Confidential human intelligence sources, human source, HUMINT) . The more we look at the topic the better equipped we all should be. A recent paper The moral and emotional world of police informants was recently published by Bethan Loftus, Matthew Bacon, and Layla Skinns.
Confidential informants - a high risk business.
Despite significant evidence to the contrary unfortunately, some Police Chiefs think managing confidential informants is a job any of their officers can do. Some fail to recognize the risks involved until it is too late. Just in case you are of a similar mind and can’t see the risks that are ever present, this article provides a few stories to focus the mind about some of the risks that are present.
Careless or negligence - managing confidential informants
Confidential Informant corruption. Patterns of behavior and Prevention
Here are two stories about alleged corruption involving confidential informants, one in Pennsylvania and one in Kentucky Both questions beg the question as to who was supervising these officers? This article explores patterns of behavior in informant management that lead to corruption and suggests ways to prevent it. Will be of interest to anyone involved in a drugs task force.
Confidential Informant Management Software - Preventing Corruption and Saving Money
An article about the benefits of using software in the management of confidential informants (human sources, CHIS, HUMINT) The article lists the advantages and the cost savings that can be made. It provides examples of informant software options available and details some of the things a Chief of Police should look for in buying a system. Corruption relating to confidential informants is a big problem. Software solutions go a long way towards managing all the risks present for police officers engaged in this activity.
Calls To Abolish Warrants Based On Information From Paid Informants
Confidential Informants Review of Houston Police Narcotics Unit
Confidential Informant Management - Ten Essential Records
Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Training
Problems with confidential informants
There has been a lot of reporting recently about law enforcement agencies having problems managing confidential informants. Regardless of how you refer to people who confidentially pass information to law enforcement.managing them is often problematic. There are numerous terms that are often used: Covert human intelligence sources (CHIS), the UK legal term, Human sources, used by FBI and widely in Canada and across Australia. and HUMINT often used within military circles. Having a clear definition of what constitutes an informant and what the parameters of their role is are critical elements in managing these individuals effectively. A lot of law enforcement officers believe that anyone can manage informants which is also one of the reasons that an agency gets into trouble around informant management. And unfortunately when something goes wrong the default setting for many is to blame an individual rather than looking at the system that created the circumstances where the bad things happened. The vast majority of things that go wrong with managing informants are down to how the agency manages the informant and the systems that are in place. Most of the time it is an officer being scapegoated. Undoubtedly there are officers who have been involved in wrongdoing but when one drills down into the case it is the informant management system within the agency that has condone the activity or not prevented the wrong doing.
Fortunately, there is a lot an agency can do to mange risks around informant management. At HSM Training and Consultancy we have the knowledge and skills to identify the problems you may have within your agency and advise with regard to steps that need to be taken to protect the agency, the public and the informant. In many cases we can help minimise the impact where something bad has already happened. We are professionals. We know informant management inside out. We literally wrote the book!
So regardless of the size of your agency get in touch and we can have a chat about how we can help you. We work with both big and small agencies. And we want what is right for you. Its not an one size fits all solution. And if you need expert testimony about what is good and bad practice with regard to managing informants we can provide that
