Posts Tagged ‘law enforcement’
Monday, February 28th, 2011
Two suspected drug dealers have just had their charges dropped after the Sheriff’s department decided that the confidential informant who was crucial to the case was unreliable. As reported by The News Tribune, Pierce County sheriff’s office (Washington state) decided that the case against the two men could not stand as the confidential informant‘s testimony had come under question.
It’s a pity that the Sheriff’s department hadn’t established the informant’s reliability before arresting the two men. As a result of their u-turn, the credibility of the law enforcement agency has been dented and the two men at the centre of the allegations are free to continue as they had before. The medical-marijuana cooperative that they operate has apparently opened a second site.
Assessing the credibility of confidential informants is an important and essential part of the CI management process, particularly when criminal cases depend heavily on their testimony. Law enforcement agencies should make sure that processes and procedures are in place to ensure confidential informants’ proper assessment for reliability and risk.
Tags: confidential informant, law enforcement, narcotics, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Friday, February 18th, 2011
The Trentonian has reported that a police dispatcher for Dover Police (New Jersey) looked up criminal records of friends and relatives and revealed the identity of a confidential informant to one of his relatives. Such behaviour is clearly against law enforcement agency policy and the officer faces a four year prison term. Although the police say that his actions did not compromise any investigations, they will undoubtedly have a negative impact on citizens’ confidence in the agency’s ability to protect data and, more importantly, the identity of confidential informants.
Law enforcement agencies should learn from this that secure and reliable systems to enforce policies and protect informant data are an essential component of modern-day policing.
Tags: confidential informant, corruption, Dover Police, law enforcement, New Jersey, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
When several drugs cases depend on the testimony of one confidential informant, it’s fairly important to know where that informant is. The Dickinson Press reported today that Stark County (North Dakota) have lost their crucial confidential informant in a case against alleged methamphetamine trafficker, Jeanifer Dutton-Meyer. The State’s Attorney has until 11th February to track him down, but he has been missing since September!
Stories like this illustrate the point that Confidential Informants need careful management. They aren’t objects that you can lock away in an evidence room – Confidential Informants can and will do unpredictable things and it’s essential that processes are put in place to minimise the risk involved in handling informants.
Tags: confidential informant, law enforcement, North Dakota, US, witness
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Omaha World Herald has reported that a confidential informant working for the FBI and Greater Omaha Safe Streets Task Force was shot dead in a staged drugs buy that went horribly wrong. According the the article, Cesar Sanchez-Gonzalez agreed to use his South Omaha, Nebraska body shop for a drug sale to a group of suspected dealers in October. FBI agents and members of the Greater Omaha Safe Streets Task Force monitored the sale nearby. All seemed to be going smoothly until one of the men pulled a gun on Sanchez-Gonzalez, shooting him dead.
Stories like this continue to emphasise the high risks involved in using confidential informants. While occasional systems failures may remain inevitable, it is imperative that law enforcement agencies manage risks properly to ensure that the dangers are averted wherever possible.
Tags: confidential informant, law enforcement, nebraska, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Monday, December 6th, 2010
The names of confidential informants who worked with the Western Colorado Drug Task Force were accidentally released on the internet in April by Mesa County Administration according to the Denver Post.
This raises important questions about the security of data within Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Task Force as well as the robustness of policies and procedures surrounding the management of confidential informant details. In an ideal world, there should be no need to upload large chunks of information to a website (whether it’s secure or not). Covert police software already exists that allows law enforcement agencies to securely record and share informant deatails, with advanced access control according to each police officer’s rank.
The question that stands, therefore, is why doesn’t Mesa County take data security and the protection of their confidential informants seriously enough to implement the tools and procedures required?
Tags: confidential informant, data security, law enforcement, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Friday, November 26th, 2010
Two former Deputies at Bexar County Sheriff’s Office were found guilty on Wednesday of stealing funds for informants and lying in drug investigations. In 2008 and 2009 the two Deputies routinely requested money to pay informants for information but pocketed half of it for themselves.
The damages to the Sheriff’s Office are far greater than a few thousand dollars of stolen informant funds. The former deputies’ convictions throw a number of drugs convictions into question – 239 letters were sent to defense lawyers by the District Attorney advising them that there may be cause for appeals. If it goes the same way as the recent Tulsa corruption scandal, many convicted drugs felons may have their convictions overturned. According to the San Antonio Express article, there has also been significant restructuring the Bexar County Sheriff’s office, with all the deputies on the 15 member narcotics unit being replaced.
Management oversight of financial transactions in the necessarily secretive area of confidential informants may be difficult, but it’s far from impossible. Robust policies and procedures enforced in conjunction with reliable source management software can make it relatively easy for law enforcement agencies to improve the management of this area of covert operations.
Tags: Bexar County Sheriff, confidential informant, corruption, law enforcement, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Police officer Erik McGarrity has resigned from Vancouver Police (Washington state) amid allegations of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a confidential informant. As reported by The Columbian, an investigation by Washington State Patrol found that the informant, a 25-year-old woman, worked as an informant for 43-year-old McGarrity (who was married with children) on drug related crimes in 2007. The following year a sexual relationship started between them.
Although McGarrity’s alleged actions were not illegal, they contravene the police department’s policy that continued association with those involved in criminal activity must be avoided.
It is difficult to eliminate the potential for this sort of situation to arise. However, introduction of clear professional standards and accountability surrounding the use and management of confidential informants, along with proper systems to record and monitor activity would help to improve professionalism and make it more obvious for senior officers when police officers’ relationships with informants risk overstepping the line of acceptability.
Tags: confidential informant, law enforcement, narcotics, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Good relationships between undercover officers and confidential informants deliver better results. Building up mutual trust and understanding encourages informants to provide more valuable and useful information leading to more numerous and robust convictions.
But what happens when a strong, professional relationship goes too far? WDTN reported yesterday on the dismissal of Montgomery County Sheriff Deputy Steven Gardiner’s dismissal after it turned out that he was covering up a sexual relationship he was having with a paid confidential informant. The disgraced, and married, deputy even invited the informant on a holiday to Hawaii. It seems that the Sheriff’s office acted swiftly and strongly to fire Gardiner, and rightly so. Inappropriate relationships of this nature reek of corruption and abuse of power and do little to instill confidence in law enforcement.
Tags: confidential informant, corruption, law enforcement, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Monday, November 8th, 2010
Tulsa’s budget will have to accommodate between $700,000 to $900,000 to handle a wave of lawsuits which are arising as a result of a corruption scandal in the city’s police department. As reported by Tulsa World, three lawsuits have already been filed against the Tulsa police for wrongful imprisonment. This is because police officers allegedly stole drugs and money, planted drugs in houses, falsified search warrants and made up confidential informants.
Tags: confidential informant, corruption, law enforcement, police, tulsa police, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Demario Harris must be a happy man. On Wednesday his life sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute was thrown out by a U.S. District Judge because two police officers allegedly used a fabricated confidential informant and a falsified search warrant to justify his arrest. As reported by Tulsa World, Harris is the 21st person to be released early from prison as a result of an investigation into corruption within the police.
It must be highly frustrating for Tulsa Police to see convicted drug dealers having their sentences dismissed. However, it emphasises the point that shortcuts should never be taken to secure an arrest. Take a moment to think about the communities in Tulsa though – 21 people that police and the judicial system said were criminals are now exonerated and back in the community – faith in the judicial system really must be at an all time low, and all because of a few over-zealous cops…
Tags: confidential informant, corruption, law enforcement, narcotics, tulsa police, US
Posted by The Hawk in Law enforcement, US Law enforcement | Comments Off
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