Here is a report on a case we are following closely from Carlisle Pennsylvania. You can read further stories here. In short it is about the trial of a former police officer and his relationship with a number of confidential informants. Allegations of consensual sexual relationships, rape and the supply of heroin to an informant are all in there. While the accused guilt of innocence is, for our purposes, academic, the allegations point to a systemic failure to manage informants safely. If what these informants is allege is true then the law enforcement agency/agencies (Carlisle Police Department, Cumberland County Drug Task Force) involved have created the circumstances were the informants have been exploited by a ruthless predator. if the allegations are unfounded then an innocent officer has been put in a place where such damaging allegations can be made. Either way it is about bad systems and poor management. Other agencies need to learn from the mistakes that have been made.

Having been involved in auditing numerous confidential informant (confidential human source, HUMINT, CHIS) operations these are a few questions that jump out having read these and other reports of the trial. While it is accepted that other information will not be in the public domain these questions jump out:

1. Why was the officer allowed to meet confidential informants alone? This alone raises questions as to the agencies knowledge of the risks involved in confidential informant management. the fact that they were female and some were involved in prostitution both serve to escalate the risk. If meeting alone is not seen as a risk, and the gender and prostitution factors not seen as escalating the risk, this alone would indicate that the officers involved at any stage in the process are not well enough trained to be doing this role.

2. How was the officer able to get drugs to supply the informant. The fact that the officer supplied the informant with drugs means that the agencies methods for handling evidence and especially narcotics purchased in a covert operation fall far short of what is required.

3. How many people have been convicted as a result of this officers actions? it could be argued that if guilty of these offences then it brings into question every warrant that the officer took out and any subsequent evidence obtained as a result of those warrants. The poor systems in place in relation to this officer raise doubts about the activities in general of his police department and the drugs task force to which he was attached?

4. What records are there in relation to all these meetings either in an informant management program or the officers notebook, or even in the case management system?

We could go on. But where would be the point. If those in charge cannot see that there will not be satisfactory answers to these questions then it is unlikely providing more information will change minds that are already made up.

An in case you want to scapegoat us for calling these things out, our background is law enforcement. We speak from a position of supporting law enforcement. We are strong advocates of using confidential informants. We just believe that it should be done professionally. Just as you would like your friends to tell you when you are out of line, we will point out when an agency/officer fails. Where harm like this occurs it harms the reputation of law enforcement everywhere. And there really is no excuse.

If you want to know what you might be doing wrong ask us. We are here to help. We wrote a lot of what is needed down in a book. Surely, you can afford $10 to find out where you might be going wrong. Alternatively, take the risks…

And if you are in Carlisle PD or the Cumberland County Drug Task Force and feel aggrieved about what we have written, please get in touch. We will provide you with training at no cost. But hopefully you havealready fixed the problems that created this issue.