Snitch City
How police in your community use confidential informants
Informants are the backbone of drug enforcement. Do away with them and prosecutions would grind to a halt. Yet, despite an informant’s outsized influence, nearly every aspect of their use remains shielded from the public.
To peel back the curtain of this clandestine world, the Spotlight Team requested data from each of the state’s more than 400 law enforcement agencies.
We found that dozens of agencies, including the police department in Brockton, one of the state’s largest cities, currently have no policy governing the use of informants, a fact one criminal justice expert calls “insane.” More than three dozen departments in the state allow the use of unregistered informants, who are unvetted and go untracked. Several departments refused to provide any information at all.
See how your police department responded.
And if you have information – or want to send your own records request – share those details with the Spotlight Team.
Does your agency currently have a policy in place governing the use of confidential informants?
Yes
How many active confidential informants, if any, are currently registered with your agency?
0
From Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2023, how many confidential informants, if any, were registered with your agency?
2
From Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2023, how much did your agency spend or pay, in total, on payments to confidential informants?
$0.00
From Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2023, how many confidential informants, if any, were deactivated by your agency?
2
Are members of your agency permitted to use unregistered confidential informants? (That is, can an individual who has not been registered with the agency be referred to as an "informant," "confidential informant," or "CI" in department or court records?)
No
Don't see your town or city listed here?
The Globe requested confidential informant data from every law enforcement agency in Massachusetts. Nearly 100 departments refused to fully answer our questions, including many of the largest police forces in Massachusetts: State Police, Boston police, Worcester police, Springfield police, and New Bedford police. We believe the public has a right to know. Everyone can request records from their government; here’s how you can send your own request:
Have a question about this data? Or want to provide a response from your agency? Email [email protected].
Credits
- Reporters: Dugan Arnett, Andrew Ryan
- Editors: Brendan McCarthy, Gordon Russell, Mark Morrow, Kristin Nelson
- Design: Ryan Huddle
- Development: Kirkland An
- Illustrations: J.D. Paulsen for the Boston Globe
- Photographer: Lane Turner
- Digital editor: Christina Prignano
- Visuals editor: Tim Rasmussen
- Director of photography: Bill Greene
- Photo editor: Leanne Burden Seidel
- Audience: Cecilia Mazanec, Ronke Idowu Reeves, Adria Watson, Diamond Naga Siu, Amanda Kaufman
- Audience editor: Heather Ciras
- Copy editor: Michael J. Bailey
- Legal review: Jon Albano
- Quality assurance: Nalini Dokula
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