Policy Text
Page 1 of 4 1/31 (REV 2/18)
GENERAL ORDER
MANAGEMENT OF INFORMANTS
The purpose of this order is to e stablish the requirements for and provide information for
managing informants.
General
The employment of confidential in formants to obtain evidence i s a vital function
of investigations. All officers are encouraged to develop worth while, productive
informants in all fields of criminal activity.
Related General Orders are 1/30 ( Informant Files – Documenting the Use and
Payment of Informants ) and 1/29 ( The Use, Responsibility and Accounting of Divisional
Unclassified Funds ).
Criminal Informant Traits
Through years of experience, offi cers have learned many import ant traits about
criminal informants.
The criminal informant who informs to them is equally willing to inform on them.
In some cases, informants have gone to other law enforcement ag encies to report
alleged misconduct by officers w hen they believe they have been mistreated.
Some criminal informants attemp t to “work” police officers for a variety of
reasons:
Eliminate competitors. Gain information.
Keep officers engaged in one direct ion so their crime partner( s) can commit other
crimes.
Informing on less serious crimi nals to protect their true crim e partner(s).
With this knowledge it is critic al that relationships between officers and
informants are completely e thical and professional.
Conduct Requirements
Officers shall adhere to the fo llowing requirements when worki ng with informants:
Officers shall obtain approval fr om their immediate supervisor before utilizing any
informant.
Page 2 of 4 1/31 (REV 2/18) Officers shall complete a check with the Western States Inform ation Network
(WSIN) which maintains an unreliable informant file.
Social contact will be strictly avoided unless necessary in th e furtherance of the
official investigation and t hen only with prior consent of the officer’s supervisor.
Officers shall not permit any illegal act by an informant, unl ess approved by a
supervisor in furtherance of an investigation.
Officers shall not accept any gi fts or gratuities from an info rmant.
No officer or agent of the Sher iff’s Department shall “chip ba ck” any narcotics to
an informant for their services . Section 11367 H&S does not pro vide immunity for
officers involved in this activity.
No officer will withhold the ident ity of an informant from the ir supervisor. This
includes the informant’s nam e, address, and background.
No money will be paid to an informant for future production of information or for
non-specific information.
When contacting informants the o fficer shall arrange for the p resence of another
officer.
Informants Working for Consideration
In all cases where an informan t desires to work for considerat ion on a pending
criminal case, officers must fo llow the steps outlined below:
The officer shall notify their supervisor of the details and c onditions of the
potential agreement, and obtain approval.
Complete a check with the West ern States Information Network ( WSIN) which
maintains an unreliable informant file.
Consult with the division comm ander of another division or the appropriate
supervisor of an outside agency i f the arrest for which the inf ormant is seeking
consideration involves them pri or to making any deals with the informant.
Contact the appropriate supervisi ng Deputy District Attorney w ith specific,
detailed information on the info rmant’s current charges, crimin al history, and the
anticipated work the informant will perform to receive consider ation.
The supervising Deputy DA is t he only person authorized to mak e the decision
as to what consideration will be given and will be responsible for completing a written
contract.
Read the contract to the inform ant to make certain they unders tand the terms of
the contract.
Sign the contract along with t he informant and the supervising Deputy DA.
The signed contract will be kep t in a locked confidential file in the office of the
supervising Deputy DA.
Page 3 of 4 1/31 (REV 2/18) Instruct the informant that all terms of the contract are bind ing and the contract
will become void if the informant becomes involved in any illeg al activity unless
supervised or directed by the officer.
Use of Juvenile Informants
Officers are discouraged from u sing juveniles as informants. H owever, if the
occasion arises where it becom es necessary, officers must follo w the steps outlined
below:
Obtain approval of the division commander.
Obtain consent of a parent or guardian unless the parent or gu ardian is the
suspect in the investigation.
Obtain consent from the court, i n writing, when the juvenile i s a ward of the court.
Protect the juvenile throughout the investigation making certa in the welfare of the
juvenile is the primary goal.
Procedures for Management of Informants
Debriefing Informants It is critical to completely debrief potential informants. Do not limit the scope of
these debriefings to one area. Att empt to obtain information on all areas of criminal
activity.
Communication with Supervisor
All officers must obtain approval from their immediate supervi sor before utilizing
any informant. It is extremely important for the officer to st ay in communication with
their supervisor to discuss any control problems and concerns w hich may develop, and
to keep the supervisor apprised o f the progress of cases using informants. If the need
arises to terminate use of the in formant, the supervisor must b ecome involved in this
process.
Terminating Use of an Informant Do