I came across this story from the Daily Raleigh News It concerns alleged corruption involving a detective from the Raleigh Police Department in North Carolina and a confidential informant. Without repeating the details there are very serious allegations that a number of people were ‘framed’ by the officer.
In these blogs we have often explored simple steps that police departments can take to drastically reduce the chances of anything like this happening with their officers. Nevertheless, despite writing about it here and putting a lot of information not my book on the subject (Human Sources: Managing Confidential Informants) similar type events occur on a weekly basis. Innocent people fall foul of the criminal justice system, officer’s careers are destroyed and police departments end up getting sued. There are no winners.
There are many reasons why Police Departments don’t make the changes necessary, foremost of these is the ‘one bad cop’ excuse, ignoring the fact that their system allowed it to happen. In some cases the department even rewarded the results of the behavior. Another reason often cited is cost. Changes cost money. Officers will need trained and most departments do not have the right IT to manage informants with the degree of rigor needed. However, given the fact that a purpose built software solution will cost you less than a patrol car it seems foolish not to make the investment.
In regard to training, if the right structures are in place to manage informants only a very limited number of officers need training and the department can afford to train them properly.
So I would make a direct appeal to police chiefs, heads of departments and sheriffs: Let us help you fix the problems before they happen. We can review your existing systems. We can examine your policies and let you know what will work and what won’t. We can tell you what IT you need and where to get it and at a fair price. We can identify your training needs and we can provide any training you need in relation to managing informants and intelligence. You will get the best training available anywhere. Alternatively, you can invest in a good lawyer.
Email info@hsmtraining.com or call +44 7739 370 969.
A call may save you a lot.
