ABSTRACT
An undercover operation usually begins with an informant. Anyone can be an informant. In counterfeiting and credit card cases, the informant’s fee for services rendered is usually agreed upon before the case is undertaken. There is a rare breed of informant called the repenter. This person is generally an older person who has spent many years in jail and was either doublecrossed by his associates or has “seen the error of his ways.” Probably the hardest type of informant to deal with is the eccentric, the mentally ill, the demented, or the person who is known in police jargon as the “mental” or “psycho.” Female informants are generally very good informants. In agency records and case files the informant should be designated by a number or code name. When working with an informant, the officer or agent assigned to him should endeavor to get the informant’s photograph and criminal record and any other pertinent information.
