Since the 9/11 terrorist acts in New York and Washington D.C., the FBI has pursued terrorists along with many other types of criminals with great success. Is all of this work done like the police work you see on TV? Are there investigators our on the streets, interviewing witnesses, driving all over, and collecting forensic evidence?
Yes, sometimes. But a big part of the success of the FBI (and other law enforcement agencies) comes from snitches. Also called informants, confidential reliable informants, and rats.
Here’s a great PBS Frontline documentary about snitches: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/
Who are snitches?
- Confidential reliable informants. These are people who work regularly with the FBI to provide information and evidence against suspects. The CRI is used often to infiltrate groups the FBI thinks are dangerous. Since it takes a while for these CRIs to gain entrance and the trust of the suspects, they become long-term workers for the FBI.
- Co-defendants. When the FBI charges a group of suspects with a crime, often they will approach one of the least guilty people and offer them money or a deal on their own criminal case. The co-defendant may testify against the others in return for less prison time, for instance.
- Cellmate. If the FBI wants information or a confession from a charged person, they may send a plant into the jail cell with the target. The cellmate tries to coax the target into talking about his crime or even admitting his guilt. The cellmate is not wired but can later testify in the target’s trial that a confession was made to the cellmate.
Why does the FBI use snitches?
It’s easier than doing the hard work of investigating themselves, talking to dozens of witnesses, and trying to get suspects to confess to their crimes. The snitches gain the trust of the target and can provide the information to the FBI and testify in court, if necessary.
Why do snitches do it?
Freedom or money. Confidential reliable informants were used by the FBI in the 70s to infiltrate the Black Panthers and Hell’s Angels. The snitches were originally part of the group but got in trouble. The FBI offered either money or a deal on the CRI’s criminal case in return for giving the FBI information about the group’s activities.
This sounds easy. Is there a problem with using snitches?
A study by Northwestern University found that between 1973-2010 in cases that were appealed and all convictions reversed, 45% of the people were convicted by the use of snitches. That means, in almost half of the cases where a snitch was used, the testimony of the snitch turned out to be false—yet the suspects were all convicted at trial.
Here’s a great site for more information and the problems of using snitches in law enforcement: http://www.snitching.org/p/ini.html
What do you think?
