| What could be worse than somebody willing to | | | | activity damages his credibility. |
| betray his friends, family, and country for the sake | | | | How do criminal investigators amplify an informant's |
| of money? Many juries will respond "nobody" and | | | | reliability while minimizing the damage to his credibility? |
| may even ignore information provided by a rat, or | | | | Investigators circumvent this problem by using what |
| informant in court. | | | | is known as the totality of circumstances test. The |
| Known to the crooks on the street as rats, | | | | totality of circumstances test refers to a collection of |
| confidential informants or plainly informants are a | | | | facts and circumstances relative to a case and is |
| valuable asset to police and law enforcement. His | | | | used to assess and support any information provided |
| value as a witness in court is inversely proportional to | | | | by an informant. If all the facts and circumstances |
| his value as a member of society. That is, the deeper | | | | are considered as a whole and support the |
| an informant is involved in crime, the more valuable | | | | information provided by the informant, it can be |
| his testimony becomes. | | | | concluded that the informant's information is highly |
| Using police informants is an integral part of many law | | | | reliable. The criminal investigator may also corroborate |
| enforcement agencies in America. It would be difficult | | | | the credibility of the informant by stating on the |
| to conduct an investigation if law enforcement | | | | witness stand that he has used the informant's |
| authorities did not make use of such shady individuals. | | | | services in the past to get information that led to |
| For the confidential informant, doing his job as such is | | | | arrests and/or convictions. |
| a double edged sword. To police, an informant's | | | | For the informant, his safety will always be on the |
| intimate knowledge of criminal activities makes him a | | | | line. For law enforcement, field officers do not have |
| valuable insider. However, his involvement in criminal | | | | to put their lives in jeopardy by working undercover |
| activity undermines his credibility. The informant's | | | | when they have an insider to do the work for them. |
| reliability is in direct relation to his involvement in | | | | The officer's safety is not at risk unless he works |
| criminal activities. In court, his knowledge of the | | | | undercover. For that reason, informants are an |
| criminal activities taking place makes him a reliable | | | | invaluable asset. |
| witness. On the flipside, his involvement in criminal | | | | |