Finding snitches in the want ads
Thanks to Grits for this post. Most police departments rely on confidential informants out of necessity. The people who know about crime are usually are the ones involved in it. Some departments rely on informants more than others; its easy to make a case with an informant, and some officers may become too dependent on them. Such apparently is the case in Albuquerque, N.M., which ran this ad recently:
The Albuquerque Police Department put a want ad in the city's weekly newspaper for "people that hang out with crooks to do part-time work."
"Make some extra cash! Drug use OK. Criminal record? Not a problem." The ad in the Weekly Alibi prompted 93 calls during its two-week run before it was taken down last week, police spokesman John Walsh said.
He said some calls yielded valuable information in a drug investigation and two violent crime cases. Walsh said the ad will run again "as soon as the detectives feel they need the help" and it could become a model for other agencies
This story is from USA Today - if it was from anywhere else, I would have trouble believing it.
I can see all sorts of problem with this tactic, the most significant one being people willing to manufacture information to make some extra cash. We all know times are hard, and this is an offer of easy money. The ad targets drug users, and those with criminal records, which are probably either people not working, or having a hard time finding a job. You hope they verify any information they get before making an arrest, but if they are having to advertise for informants you have to wonder.
The problems with informants have been well documented. Behind faulty eyewitness identifications, they are one of the biggest factors involved in wrongful convictions. Most of those involved in the criminal justice system are looking at ways to limit their use, not expand it. So I hope this isn't a tactic picked up by other departments.
