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.
Confidential informant management software
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.
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 a story about the murder of a confidential informant in Florida. While there are limited facts available here it will be interesting to follow this story and see if there are any parallels with the murder of Rachael Hoffman in Tallahassee a number of years ago. This led to the introduction of Rachael’s law which was intended to place a much greater obligation on law enforcement to protect informants.
Here is the report into 6th January 2021 at Capitol Hill and the involvement of FBI Confidential Human Sources (confidential informants). It is well worth an objective read from a lessons learned perspective.
A Review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Handling of Its l Human Sources and Intelligence Collection Efforts in the Lead Up to the January 6, 2021 Electoral Certification
Each day I get google alerts relating to confidential informants, HUMINT Covert Human Intelligence Sources etc. Basically anything to do with Human Sources on the web I try to pick up on and see what is going on . Then I share it here in the hope that we are all wiser from others mistakes. Unfortunately there are just not enough hours in the day and these alerts tend to pile up in my in box.
Here is a report relating to a huge number of cases that may be overturned in Georgia as a result of a corrupt relations hip with a confidential informant.
About 450 cases are now being questioned. Think about it it. Either way you look at it it is bad. 450 innocent people in jail or 450 guilty people potentially walk. What is more likely is that it is a combination of the two.
And the damage to the criminal justice system in the State does not ear thinking about.
Why because people do not know how to build a system to manage confidential informants ethically and effectively. And until police departments have such a system then these types of cases will keep on appearing.
Is your department next up?
We have talked a lot about this before but the problems continue. It was recently suggested to me by a student that this doesn’t happen anymore. Unfortunately it does because police departments and sheriffs officers continue to believe any officer should be allowed to manage informants and to compound the problem they fail to put in adequate structures to manage the risks.
Here is a story form Arkansas about a sheriff who may have gotten too close to his informant. Managing confidential informants is a high risk business. Many officers have no idea how easily they can find themselves being corrupted. There is often an unhealthy combination of ignorance and hubris. Add this to lack of structures within an agency and poor supervision and it is a recipe for disaster.
I was doing some doing some research on the web when I came across this quote “Only members who have completed Department approved training may utilize confidential informants or maintain informant files”. It is taken from Vancouver Police Department’s Informant Management Policy For those of you unaware Vancouver is a big city in Canada - think mountains and sea, with approximately 2000 sworn and unsworn members.
After spending over AUD100 million on a Royal Commission and years of adverse publicity, the State of Victoria has new legislation for managing human sources.
It is certainly going to change how things are done.
Unfortunately, this is not the end of the matter which began with police using a defence lawyer as an informant to report on her clients.
Safe to say it went badly wrong.
If you want to read the whole sad story visit: https://www.rcmpi.vic.gov.au/