Premium
OBSERVATIONS ON POLICE UNDERCOVER WORK *
Author(s) -
MILLER GEORGE I.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1987.tb00787.x
Subject(s) - covert , law enforcement , work (physics) , criminology , criminal justice ethics , enforcement , public relations , political science , criminal investigation , law , psychology , business , criminal justice , engineering , theory of criminal justice , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics
Law enforcement officers are dependent upon citizens to alert them to criminal violations of the law. When citizens do not willingly communicate information to the police or cannot be induced to do so, police officers themselves adopt fictitious identities of various types. This paper explores police undercover work, a form of covert law enforcement used to gather information about conduct external to the organization. Through interviews with supervisors and practitioners, the benefits and liabilities of the assignment for the officers and the organization are presented. The work enables the police to investigate citizens who are not suspected of criminal activity and therefore lends itself to abuse. The practice itself demands attention as the lack of operational guidelines, standardless selection of operatives, and loose supervision imperil the safety of officers and the rights of citizens.