Tonight, on this educational, empowering and explosive episode of Light ‘Em Up — our investigative journalistic focus is on the raw underworld of Confidential Informants or CI’s — a term that is often kicked around among the criminal element and the seedy underworld — but in the real-world very little is really known about CI’s and their intricate role and the crucial impact they have in and on the criminal justice system.
This is another installation in our recent series as we continue to investigate and probe deeply — exploring law enforcement policies, practices, and procedures and their impact on the public’s civil-liberties and constitutional rights.
Regardless of how you refer to them: snitches, rats, stoolies, stool pigeons … they can be a cop’s eyes, ears and calling cards. Confidential Informants can vouch for undercover investigators and get them inside the inner circles of criminal enterprises. In the criminal justice system, some say “police-generated witness testimony”, by that we mean confessions, police informants, and eyewitness identifications or that testimony from confidential informants, is essential to the overall process — just like the process of plea-bargaining.
Among academia in Criminal Justice, we’ve heard it said that the system would “grind to a halt and collapse without the use of CI’s” – while others feel very strongly that CI’s are “rats” and rats bring plague and infestation to everything they touch, and the criminal justice system and process is no exception.
On the streets it is said that: “Snitches get stitches” … among Italian mobsters — “gli mafiosi” — ALL rats deserve and should get the same treatment … “morte” … or death (in Italian).
After tuning in to this fact-packed episode you will know:
♦ What exactly is a CI?
♦ The 3 different types of informants.
♦ How a “CW” (cooperating witness) differs from a CI.
♦ The “motivations” of CI’s. (Are CI’s paid?)
♦ The "Initial Suitability Determination" used by JLEA’s (Justice Law Enforcement Agencies).
♦ The Standards for Eligibility of becoming a CI.
♦ How police & prosecutors use CI’s to make their cases against YOU!
♦ The use of CI’s inside organized crime syndicates. (Mob snitches)!
♦ An exclusive and troubling report on The Chicago PD and its use of informants.
♦ Shocking case studies (specifically of Kathryn Johnston): a real-world example where the use of CI’s can instantly become deadly and go terribly wrong – especially when law enforcement officers “conjure up,” manufacture and plant evidence.
Few crimes are as reprehensible as those committed by police officers who violate the very laws they have sworn to uphold. Rhetorically, we ask: How many warrants are obtained each year based on fabricated informants and conjured up “evidence”? How many such cases did not have someone stand up for the truth? We know that the truth is under attack and that the truth is worth fighting for.
We drill deep into the dirty underworld and the ins and outs of confidential informants (CI’s).
Do you want to become a CI?
Do you want to learn more about CI’s, now? Good! Tune in and be empowered!
We’d like to thank our friends at Feedspot, as recently we were honored by being ranked #6 in their most recent poll out of the 40 Best Criminal Justice Podcasts. Visit their blog at www.Feedspot.com or simply follow this link: Best 40 Criminal Justice Podcasts You Follow in 2022 (feedspot.com)
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Executive Producer,
Phil Rizzo