Here is a story from Rapides Parish, Louisiana, about the rape of a confidential informant.
What I find disturbing about this report are the remarks of some of the officers involved. The article provides commentary on police attitude to the informant.
Here is a story about the compromise of a list of informants names from Nevada’s Record Courier. A worker in the state’s information technology department, was able to open the file containing the names, addresses and even photos of the informants. If informants are being managed properly this should not be possible. It is negligence on the part of the agency managing the informants. We are putting people’s lives in great danger.
Here is a story about informant related corruption and York Regional Police in Toronto, Canada which we have discussed before. A sixteen year veteran was sentence to over seven years in prison, for corruption relating at least in part to the management of confidential informants (HUMINT, confidential human sources, CHIS)
Here is a story from New Albany, Indiana about a police officer that went well and truly down the wrong road with a confidential informant, (human source, CHIS). This type of think could have happened in many police departments. The case is far from unique. No doubt everyone is seeking to cast all the blame on the officer. Time would be better spent looking at how this behaviour occurred and how it continued for two years.
There is simply no valid excuse in 2021, for officers mishandling confidential informants (HUMINT, confidential human sources, Covert human intelligence sources, CHIS). While there is always a risk that one officer becomes involved in corrupt behavior systems should be in place where such behavior is very difficult to carry out and if it is done it can be readily detected and easily proven.
Here is a story from Minneapolis about the destruction of police records some of them pertaining to confidential informants. In one case the records were destroyed by police and in the other as a result of public disorder.
Here is a story from the Daily Raleigh News concerns alleged corruption involving a detective from the Raleigh Police Department in North Carolina and a confidential informant. This blog discusses the assistance that can be provided to Police Chiefs to avoid similar issues around corruption and confidential informant management.
There is little point in collecting information from a confidential informant if the police can’t use it. How to use it in a way that is lawful and defendable is problematic for some agencies. The consequences of getting wrong are well documented and have resulted in deaths and lawsuits. This article discusses one such lawsuit and provides details of how to build a system to make sure everything is done lawfully and ethically. The article also addresses what needs to be done to ensure that informant information is used properly in obtaining warrants.
This article discusses a lawsuit against a USA law enforcement agency concerning the alleged wrongful death of a police confidential informant. The family of Troy Howlett are suing the police department and others for $13 million. We discuss what constitutes negligence in the management of informants.
This article discusses alleged police corruption in the management of confidential informants. (CHIS, Human Sources, HUMINT) It asks a number pf pertinent questions and discussed how a police department may leave an officer vulnerable to corruption. As the article shows informant management is a a high risk business. Officers are at significant risk of being led into a corrupt relationship if they are not trained and supervised properly.
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.
Here are a number of traits that anyone involved in managing confidential informants (Human source, HUMINT, Covert Human Intelligence Source, CHIS) should have. A source should always find that the officer responsible for their safety(the Handler) is trustworthy. If someone is going to be a competent source Handler then these are the elements supervisor’s should look for.
