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.
Informant problems New Bedford, MA
We have talked a lot about this before but the problems continue. It was recently suggested to me by a student that this doesn’t happen anymore. Unfortunately it does because police departments and sheriffs officers continue to believe any officer should be allowed to manage informants and to compound the problem they fail to put in adequate structures to manage the risks.
Confidential informant corruption
Here is one of those stories where you just thing WTF! Our regular readers will be familiar in regard to our advocacy around the need for police chiefs to build suitable structures to minimise the risk of corruption when managing confidential informants while maximising the benefits from them. This of course assumes that the Chief is not involved in the corruption. A recent story relating to Payne Springs Police Department raises concerns. The allegation is that the Chief and one of her officers were using a confidential informant to buy and sell drugs for their personal benefit.
Key advantages of Computerized Confidential Informant Management Records Software
The blog discusses the key benefits for law enforcement in using computerized confidential informant management software. The article highlights the risks that will be managed and some of the cost savings that can be made. The article will be of interest to Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs who are interested in maximising the intelligence gained from informants and at the same time minimizing risk
Informants destroy police careers
Here is a story of three careers destroyed because of the failure to manage a confidential informant safely. The FBI are the USA’s most prominent law enforcement agency. This case begs the question as to what happened to facilitate the mismanagement of this informant. Be under no illusion this is not just one officer acting badly - it is a failure of systems and processes.
Confidential Informant management - hitting the tree
Confidential informants - a high risk business.
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, this article provides a few stories to focus the mind about some of the risks that are present.
Confidential Informant Corruption - Canada
Here is a story about informant related corruption and York Regional Police in Toronto, Canada which we have discussed before. A sixteen year veteran was sentence to over seven years in prison, for corruption relating at least in part to the management of confidential informants (HUMINT, confidential human sources, CHIS)
'Informants used to help free hostages' - The benefits of using human sources
A good news story from Nigeria about the release of hostages. Interestingly in the story is the point they make about using informants to get intelligence about the criminal gangs. Using confidential informants (HUMINT, Human Sources, CHIS) has become very much the poor cousin of intelligence collection. Many have consigned it to the too difficult to do tray in favour of OSINT collection. The reality is that if informants are managed properly the amount and quality of intelligence they produce cannot be surpassed.
Verinote - An App to help in managing confidential informants
This article discusses the use of the VeriNote app and its utility in confidential informant management. There are a lot of features about this product that make it ideal for officers involved in managing confidential sources (HUMINT, covert human intelligence sources, CHIS, and confidential human sources). Here we list some of the features that will make it very appealing to anyone involved in this type of work.
