The Informant: A Narcotics Enforcement Dilemma

Williams, Jay R.; Guess, L L

doi:10.1080/02791072.1981.10471578

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Undercover work requires that an informant's identity be closely guarded by investigative officers (Williams & Guess, 1981). Juveniles are less likely to understand the importance of anonymity and brag to peers about their role.…”

Section: The Thin Line Between Protection and Perilmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Informants are an essential part of proactive law enforcement and are considered crucial for investigation and identification of drug traffickers (Dunnighan & Norris, 2000;Jacobs, 1992Jacobs, , 1977James, 2003;Karchmer, 1977;Siebert & Gitchoff, 1972;Williams & Guess, 1981). The cooperation of informants is fundamental in most police intelligencegathering operations, particularly in regard to victimless or consensual crimes (Dorn, Karim, & South, 1992).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unwitting informants gain entrance to the targeted group for the undercover agents, who then use the teenagers without revealing their role as narcotics officers. In comparison, investigative informants are more active, and their relationships with detectives are more complex (Reuter, 1982;Williams & Guess, 1981). In most cases, juveniles are recruited in drug trafficking investigations; and in some instances, they are employed to infiltrate gangs.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Informants are motivated to assist police for a number of reasons, including money, fear, revenge, egocentrism, and eccentricity (Dunnighan & Norris, 2000;Harney & Cross, 1968;Marx, 1974;Williams & Guess, 1981). The best informants are those who are motivated to "work off" charges (Skolnick, 1966;Wilson, 1978).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Juvenile Police Informants

Dodge

2006

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

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The use of juvenile informants by police is rarely discussed among law enforcement, and published research is virtually nonexistent. In most cases, ethical issues, legal circumstances, and traditional police secrecy keep any teenager involvement in covert law enforcement operations hidden. This article seeks to shed some light on the use of minors in police investigations through a presentation of known cases and semistructured interviews with law enforcement agents. The qualitative interviews reveal fundamental concerns regarding the precarious nature of the role of juveniles in the investigation process, despite the limitations of the sample size and generalizability of the data. The primary issues addressed in the research include coercion in the recruitment process and the potential for physical and emotional harm of the young informants.

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Section: The Thin Line Between Protection and Perilmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Juvenile Police Informants

Dodge

2006

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

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“…This particular facet of undercover police work has not yet been examined. Most research has focused on differences between light and deep cover (Man< 1988;Miller 1987;Williams and Guess), tactical components of undercover investigations (Brown 1 989; Karchmer 1 977; Manning 1977Manning : 1980Maw 1974;Miller 1987;Siebert and Gitchoff 1972;Wicks and Platt 1977; Williams and Guess 1 98 1 ), ethical, social, and legal dilemmas raised by covert operations (Bernstein 1990;Hellman 1975;Man< 1974Man< , 1980Man< , 1982Man< , 1988, and psychological difficulties experienced by agents who become consumed with undercover role portrayals (Christiansen 1988;Girodo 1984aGirodo , 1984bGirodo , 1985Manning andReddlinger 1977, 1978;Man< 1988;Ward 198 1 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undercover Drug‐Use Evasion Tactics: Excuses and Neutralization

Jacobs

1992

Symbolic Interaction

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Although research has examined the corruptive influences of undercover drug operations on agents (Girodo 199 1 b;Manning and Reddlinger 1977, 1978), it has not examined the processes by which these influences can be neutralized. In this paper, I address these neutralization processes through a typology of routine and nonroutine drug-use evasion tactics. Routine tactics involve excuses based on greed, business constraints, and role obligations (occupational, legal, and interpersonal). Nonroutine tactics involve two components: reverse accusation and simulation. Discussion focuses on excuses where I provide a dramaturgical interpretation that accentuates their deceptive and fraudulent nature, unlike traditional interpretations (e.g., Scott and Lyman 1968) which highlight their role as a reparative technique and aligning action (Margolin 1990). Data were drawn from ethnographic interviews with 35 light undercover narcotics agents located in a moderate-sized midwestern municipality.Interactional encounters often involve subject matter which denigrates, embarrasses, or questions actor in some manner. To avoid such situations, any number of excuses can be employed. Excuses constitute one form of account, and are defined as socially approved vocabularies for relieving responsibility when conduct is questioned (Scott and Lyman 1968, p. 47). More specifically, excuses relieve actors from responsibility for previous actions, as well as

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Crime as a negotiated commodity: The police use of informers

Visano

1990

The Journal of Human Justice

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The Informant: A Narcotics Enforcement Dilemma

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

Juvenile Police Informants

Juvenile Police Informants

Undercover Drug‐Use Evasion Tactics: Excuses and Neutralization

Crime as a negotiated commodity: The police use of informers

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