How do police informants work?

Question

Are they asked to be informants, or volunteer? Once agreed, what happens? How does it all go down?

Answer 1

Some volunteer others are working off charges they have pending against them (like minor possession charges). Some jurisdictions will trade a misdemeanor charge for cooperation. The informant has to cooperate for so long and get some other bad people off the street in exchange for overlooking a charge. Full and complete cooperation must follow. Any Tom Foolery and they get charged with the crime they were trying to work off.

Answer 2

As a police officer, I've worked in narcotics investigations for many years where I've depended upon the public to assist with the information they provide.

The term "informant" is nothing more than a source of information.

"People" sources sometimes volunteer to help keep their communites and neighborhoods free from crime whereas some provide assistance in order to gain favor from the court.

There are a myriad of reasons people provide information but most "sources" see and hear things within their neighborhoods and telephone law enforcement with the information.

Visiting your local law enforcement agency would help you, by talking to some of the officers, understand many of the different means of conducting investigations.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

A police officer arrests someone but at some point they are asked if they would like to be arrested or if they want to give them some info,


Then for as long as that statue of limitation on that crime asks, the police can threaten to send them to jail if they don't give them more info.

Or someone on parole is threatend with sending back to prison if they don't give some info.

And of course you have where one gang or drug person wants to give up info on another person to get back at them.

Answer 4

It works like this- the Informant "gives a little, to get a little". Usually, its an exchange that starts with the informant being arrested. They are usually the initator of the "Snitch" relationship, after getting some good reliable "Rumours" from the informant the arresting officers are willing to "go to bat" for them assuming they produce a "bigger fish to fry". then, "bud da bing, ba da boom" "one hand washes the other" and "saaa-laaam" we "crack a bigger case" and the informant is "taken care of". "Ka-Pish?"

Answer 5

Some trade info for a lighter sentence for their crimes, some just have info for sale in exchange for money, and others are just snitches who love to tattle tale on others. They are boith recruited, and some come forwards on their own to "deal".

Answer 6

Most of them have gotten their selves in trouble so they work a deal to tell on others to get out of their situation.Then they usually do it for drugs from the police or money.Freakin snitches!

Answer 7

I live next to one he been harassing thinking it's funny cause the cops do nothing to stop it