Use of Informants: Best Practices, Policy and Procedures

The use of police informants can be one of the most powerful tools used by police in an investigation, but it can also come with many pitfalls. This course is designed to teach officers the proper and ethical use of informants, including documentation, informant motivation and operational safety. Other topics will include cultivating police informants, formal and informal informants, and best practices policy and procedures for the use of informants.

Introduction
Officers will be given a Definition and description of the different types of police informants including a historical prospective and current public attitudes

Cultivation of Police Informants
Police informants can come from many areas of an officer’s sphere of concern. Officers will learn where to find informants and how to properly conduct the very important indicial interview and debrief.

Police Informant Management
Police informants have several reasons to provide information. Officers must understand these in order to maximize their effectiveness. Officers will learn about the most common motivations and how to ethically maintain a professional relationship

Use of Informants in Covert Operations
It is a common tactic to utilize informants in covert police operation. Students will learn proper operations planning, informant safety, operational safety and informant rescue techniques.

Managing the Informant Program
History has shown the liability associated with the use of police informants. Many of the mistakes made by departments start with poor management, poor documentation, and bad ethical decisions. During this course officers will learn best practices for departmental informant policies, security, proper documentation and how both help ensure the ethical use of informants.