John Buckley
Confidential Informant Training - From us, ...

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.

Calls To Abolish Warrants Based On Information From Paid Informants

A discussion around the use of information from confidential informants and warrants referring to the case of the Anjanette Young in Chicago. The article explores a call for a ban on warrants where the information comes solely from a ‘paid informant’

Informants and Wildlife Protection

A story about the effective use of confidential informants to combat wildlife crime in Zimbabwe. Trafficking in wildlife is a multi million dollar organised crime business. Using informants to combat this threat is an essential part of adopting an intelligence let approach to conservation.

HUMINT Books for Law Enforcement and Military

TWO Books that provide the know how for successfully managing HUMINT operations. A comprehensive guide to the structures needed and the psychology involved. Will be of interest to HUMINT collectors and detectives managing confidential informants. These HUMINT books for military and law enforcement uniquely prepare police agencies and intelligence officers to conduct effective HUMINT operations in any country.

Australian Royal Commission on the management of police informants

Australian Royal Commission on the management of police informants

The report of the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants in Victoria, Australia has been released. This article gives some of the background to the case and addresses some of the main recommendations of the report. The report establishes best practice for all law enforcement agencies in Australia and contains a lot of learning for those outside Australia that are involved in managing informants.

Securing documentation - Intelligence Work 101

A distressing story from West Midlands UK about the loss of confidential intelligence on gang members. This article discusses why losing confidential material of this type, should not happen. We are in the 21st Century and there are secure encrypted methods for keeping intelligence safely and a handwritten police notebook is not one of them.

Avoiding confidential informant related corruption.

There have been serious allegations of corruption in Detroit Police Department involving a narcotics unit and the mismanagement of confidential informant finances. There are always risks when it comes to managing confidential informants (HUMINT, Human Sources, Covert Human Intelligence Sources) This article discusses some of the ways to manage these risks.

Managing Insider Threats within Your organisation

Insiders pose a real risk for organisations. How we can go about managing that threat and how to manage the risk is discussed in a recent podcast for IdentityToday with Blair Crawford of Daltrey

HUMINT and Managing Confidential Informants - knowing the difference.

It is far from unusual to come across law enforcement agencies where the term HUMINT is used, or to come across law enforcement officers who talk about having attended HUMINT training or that they are involved in HUMINT activities. Here,we will discuss to concepts HUMINT and Human Source Management (aka informant management) and identify some of the differences in the two disciplines.

Confidential Informant Management goes wrong

Another story relating to confidential informant ( human source, HUMINT, CHIS) management that we can all learn from. This news story from Florida makes for sad reading as we see how an officers career has been destroyed and the reputation of the Drug Enforcement Agency dragged down with it

Understanding why people react to hurt. A guide to ego defense mechanisms

We all hurt at some time, in some way. Having a better understanding of the nature of pain and how we may respond to that pain allows us to better manage our behavior.

Reducing Confidential informant Related Corruption

This article relates to informant management that resulted in a Chicago police officer being sentence to seven years imprisonment. This story is not about one bad cop, it is about a broken system for managing confidential informants (Confidential Human Sources, HUMINT, Covert Human Intelligence Sources , CHIS)

Confidential Informants Review of Houston Police Narcotics Unit

An article on the need for police chiefs to review their existing structures for the management of confidential informants. the article discusses a recent review of Houston Police Departments narcotics unit following a fatal shooting.

Motives and Motivations of Confidential Informants

Many people are interested in what motivates an confidential informant ( aka: human source, covert human intelligence source, CHIS, HUMINT) to assist law enforcement. The question is often asked as to why someone becomes an informant. Understanding an informant’s motives for providing information is fundamental to managing them effectively. This article points people in the right direction as to how to find out what really works when it comes to motivating a confidential informant.

Active listening for police - a skill for conflict avoidance.

A summary of the listening skills required by police officers when dealing with conflict. A brief article explaining the connection between listening skills and human motivation. This will be of interest to any one trying to understand some of the reasons for conflict with police officers.