Sometimes it is hard to get through to people how costly the mismanagement of confidential informants can be. This story relates to a police department that have paid out over $2.3 million dollars with a third case pending. That is a lot of money for any department to be paying out. And it could have been avoided if the department had invested in the proper structures for managing confidential informants.
Failure to Protect officer in managing confidential informant.
Here is a story from Georgia that gives me some cause for concern. It is about a police officer convicted for misconduct in relation to the management of a confidential informant. While it is difficult in such cases to make a judgement without knowing all the facts the one thing that jumps out here is that it is agreed by all the officer’s intentions were good.
Failure to Protect the Identity of a Confidential Informant
Here is a story from Connecticut about the compromise of a confidential informant through the allegedly corrupt actions of a police officer. The story relates how an officer allowed his girlfriend access to a computer that held the details of a confidential informant and the officers involved in a drugs arrest.
Compromising a confidential informant - why it might cost you a shit-ton.
It is not unusual for people to ask why we recommend so much training for those involved in managing confidential informants (HUMINT, confidential human sources, CHIS). This week when I pointed out that we would normally spend at least two days solely on risk management this was greeted with incredulity. The question asked was “Why would you to that?”
Compromise of Undercover Officers. Tell me its not true
Here is a story from the LA times about the compromise of undercover police officers because their photographs were accidently leaked to the public. It is really difficult to see how this can happen unless there was total incompetence on someone’s part combined with a failure on behalf of the agency to have adequate systems in place to guard against such incompetence.
Setting up a Witness Protection Program
Here is a an interesting article on some problems Illinois seem to be having around setting up a witness protection program. The first observation I would make is that the Gov. J.B. Pritzker seems to have come up with a realistic amount of money for such a program to be effective. Witness protection is not a one way bus ticket out of town. My second observation is programs of this type are never easy especially if you are starting from ground zero.
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.
There are things I understand about policing and things I don’t. - Using Software to Save money
An article that discusses the reluctance to embrace software effectively. “While delivering training to police officers I am often asked why they have to spend so much time transcribing interviews. It gets tiring because I don't have answers. These officers want to be out on the streets helping people.”
Saving police time. The Benefits of Emerging Technology
Confidential informant corruption. A common problem and a simple solution.
Here is an all to common story about an officer who is suspected of having inappropriate relationships with confidential informants. These relationships happen because officers believe they can have clandestine meetings without any contemporaneous record being kept of the meeting. The article discusses the use of a digital police notebook that provides a simple solution.
Digital notebooks for policing - ten reasons why
What studying many public inquires, into allegations of police incompetence and wrongdoing can tell us. about the reasons for failures. One of the common failings was the lack of systems and processes, another was individual’s keeping information in isolation. While fixing systems and processes can take a lot of effort technology can go a long way to integrating information within an agency. One solution is digitising officer’ officers’ notebooks and journals.
Rape of a Confidential Informant - Who was protecting the informant
Here is a story about Rapides Parish Sherriff’s office and the rape of a confidential informant. Have a read.
If I was to let loose about what I think I would probably say things I regret. And that would be wrong because I don’t know the full facts. What I do know is this:
The woman was an informant
She was raped.
The police put her in a position where that rape took place and did not protect her.
International Chiefs of Police Conference - Dallas 2022 - confidential informant consultancy
Our consultant Dr John Buckley will be visiting the International Chiefs of Police conference in Dallas from 14th to 18th October 2022 as a guess of Altia. If you are visiting and want to have a chat about any of the following topics please stop by.
Confidential informant management
Intelligence management
Anti corruption measures
Interpersonal skills for police officers
Training issues
Counter terrorism.
Confidential informant raped - police negligence
Here is a story from Rapides Parish, Louisiana, about the rape of a confidential informant.
What I find disturbing about this report are the remarks of some of the officers involved. The article provides commentary on police attitude to the informant.