Many of our readers in the USA will be familiar with the case in Chicago of Anjanette Young, where police executed a warrant on her apartment to search for a gun. Without going into all the details of what was done wrong, it has now cost the City of Chicago $2.9 million in compensation for Ms Young. This was an expensive day out for the Chicago Police Department. What will be of interest to our readers is the comment in the CBS report: “It was all based on bad information from a confidential informant.”

There is always a risk that a confidential informant will provide bad information. However, if the agency has the appropriate structures in place and the officers involved understand the grading of intelligence then the chances of bad information being used are greatly reduced. See our book on the topic (Managing Intelligence -A guide for law enforcement professionals.)

For today, let us take a look at what the Chicago Mayor could have had for their $2.9 million.

1. A purpose built software solution to manage all confidential informants, undercover operations and intelligence.

2. An electronic notebook for every officer in Chicago to record their daily activities and to collect intelligence when in the field.

3. Training for every officer, according to their needs, in relation to contact with confidential informants. The department would have professionally trained informant handlers.

And we would still have about a million in change. If an agency wants to avoid this type of mistake they have to invest before it happens. If you are in a smaller agency you may face a lawsuit that costs you $2.7 million. The good news is the cost of implementing similar solutions is proportionate when comparing the size of your agency with that of Chicago. Fixing things is easier than you probably think.

At HSM we study these problems and we share that knowledge with law enforcement agencies so you don’t have to make the mistakes that others have made. We are playing on your team.