As you may have noticed from previous blog posts we often highlight things that go wrong with informant management. We do this to provide the opportunity for us all to learn from the mistakes of others. Seeing the results of someone putting their hand into a fire is much better for us than having to experience what it feels like when our hand is in the fire.
Despite significant evidence to the contrary unfortunately, some Police Chiefs think managing confidential informants is a job any of their officers can do. Some fail to recognize the risks involved until it is too late. Just in case you are of a similar mind and can’t see the risks that are ever present, here are a few stories to focus your mind:
From the DEA the story of one of their officers gone rogue.
From Fort Meyers a story involving “ "sustained charges" of having inappropriate sexual relationships with confidential informants, seven charges of associating with convicted felons, and two charges of interfering with an internal affairs investigation.”
From Inglewood, CA, the story of a police officer involved with an informant in drug dealing.
From L A County the story of a million dollar law suit and the Sheriff sentenced to prison.
We could go on, but what would be the point? If through inexperience, ignorance or hubris, you feel that these risks could never materialize in your agency, more, will not change your mind.
But before you move on, take a few minutes to think if these things could happen in your agency, and what measures are in place that would prevent them.
That is what we do. We look at cases like this and we try to identify how such things happen then we look at ways to stop these types of things from happening. When you have looked for as long as we have at as many cases as we have the patterns emerge.
So if you want to mitigate the risks and improve how your agency does things, then drop us a note to info@hsmtraining.com or just call +44 7739 370 969
We have the expertise to help you. We want to help. We have felt the pain when it goes wrong. We have worked with national police agencies, and federal, state, and local agencies, on an international basis.
But don’t take our word for it. Call us up, test us out. See for yourself if we know what we are talking about. Just the same way as you would with any other source of information.
