The following are established guidelines and procedures governing the use of informants by members of the Saint Paul Police Department. All personnel shall adhere to the policy and the procedures.

Policy:

Department members are encouraged to cultivate individuals as sources of information. The use of such sources of information must be strictly controlled by the Saint Paul Police Department. Responsibility for the use of informants resides with individual members of the department and their unit heads. Strict adherence with the procedures set forth herein is mandatory for all members of this department.

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Informant:

Informant is defined as a person who is working with or providing information to a member of this department, with or without expectations of compensation, who furnishes information on criminal activities or individual criminals. Informants are classified as either an active informant or a passive informant.

Active Informant:

A person who has been or may become the subject of a criminal investigation, they may be under arrest or subject to arrest as a result of criminal activity.  The active informant generally expects compensation for their assistance in either the form of prosecution consideration or compensation in some other form.

Passive Informant:

A citizen who without expectation of compensation assists the department by providing information relative to an investigation, alleged criminal activity or individual criminals. This includes witnesses, victims, and concerned citizens. A passive informant is not subject to the portfolio procedures set forth below. However, a passive informant may become an active informant and subject to the general procedures.

General Procedures:

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Unit Head Responsibilities:

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Officers/Investigators Responsibilities:

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Individual officers shall be responsible for verifying the reliability of individual informants. They shall inform each informant of the following:

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Informants -- Use by Patrol Officers:

The use of informants is not limited to investigative units. Patrol officer are encouraged to cultivate informants in their daily patrol activities. Patrol officers who identify potential informants are to be guided by the policies and procedures set forth herein. [Redacted]

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Updated February 1, 2019

Last Edited: March 4, 2019