Ethics, Discretion, And Decision Making
You and your partner are running a string of informants in a major street crimes unit that includes narcotics, weapons, and organized crime. One informant is a beautiful young woman who was caught with some marijuana and is now working with your team, identifying drug dealers. She has been flirting with every male member of the team, and even with a female member on one occasion. You have a second informant who is very friendly and brings coffee and pastries to meetings with the team. You note that he is being treated by the team as a member of the team. Finally, a third informant who is a paid informant is a dynamo. He brings six or seven issues at a time for the team to work on. He gets paid by his production and seizures in the cases he comes up with. You notice he is starting to overwhelm the team with potential targets of criminal activity.
- Address the following:
- In terms of ethics, what are the 3 informants in the scenario jeopardizing? Explain.
- How should the team deal with the 3 informants based on their behavior? Explain and fully justify your argument.
- What should you tell the members of the team concerning how you want your informants run on the street? Why do you think this will be effective? Explain.
