A confidential informant, or "CI," is an individual who provides useful and credible information to a Justice Law Enforcement Agency (JLEA) regarding felonious criminal activities and from whom the JLEA expects or intends to obtain additional useful and credible information regarding such activities in the future. CIs are secret sources who supply information on criminal activity to the police or law enforcement agent through a contact officer. There are three types of CIs:
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Criminal Informant: This type of CI is someone who was caught committing a crime and is offered a deal by either police officers or attorneys. They work for the police and bring in cases in exchange for a reduction in charges or sentence.
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Jailhouse Informant: This type of CI is a convicted criminal who provides information to the police in exchange for a reduction in charges or sentence.
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Career Informant: This type of CI is someone who might have had a minor record of misdemeanor crimes in the past or some low-level drug crimes, but they have since gone straight. They work for the police and receive payment for the information they provide.
CIs are often paid by the police for the information that they give to them, and their identity is kept a secret throughout the police report. However, when someone becomes a confidential informant, they say goodbye to their identity, and many of their freedoms and constitutional rights are compromised.
