At HSM Consultancy and Training we are always looking for material that helps our customers and the wider law enforcement community have a better understanding of every aspect of managing confidential informants (HUMINT, Covert Human Intelligence Sources, CHIS, Confidential Human Sources). We recognise it is a big topic and to have an in depth knowledge of all the different aspects requires a lot of time invested in reading and training. This article from legalreader.com discusses a recent judgment for New Jersey Supreme court and relates to defense obligations around disclosure when a confidential informant is involved.

While it may take a couple of read throughs to fully comprehend the judgement, it is time well spent as it addresses potential challenges to the validity of a warrant based on information received from a confidential informant. Like all court judgements it addresses a specific set of circumstances. However, it does provide the opportunity to better understand how a particular court may decide. Anything that we can do to protect the identity of confidential informants is worth looking at and at the same time ensuring fair trail rights.